Location: Paddock Paradise

Discussion: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??Reported This is a featured thread

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Hubbardshorses
Hubbardshorses
Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Apr 30 2010, 12:58 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 12:58 PM EDT
HI I just found this site last week and I find it very fascinating! I have two horses and only have 1 acre that is my property. My next door neighbor allows me to let my boys graze on her acre. I only can make fencing alterations to my acre. Do you think it is possible to still make a lap from the barn and back around.And use slow hay feeders in tree areas to keep them moving? I'm starting to have wheels turn in my head after looking at everyone's Paddock Paradise. I made my own slow feeding hay nets last weekend and my boys already have adjusted. They aren't crying out to me as soon as I get home for the feeding like they used too. They are also eating 2 flakes of hay for several hours now than 1 1/2 - 2 hours. I'm really impressed!! And to think I put in a google search for hay nets and I found this site. I had no clue this was out here. :) Thank you for any tips.. I live in East Texas with pine trees and sandy soil. Dry hooves are a problem in my existing paddock. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
tangledmanes
tangledmanes
1. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Apr 30 2010, 1:36 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 1:36 PM EDT
"Do you think it is possible to still make a lap from the barn and back around.And use slow hay feeders in tree areas to keep them moving?"
Absolutely! I should really measure the square footage of the paddock paradise I'm using right now, because I think it's somewhere between half an acre and one acre. I did walk around it with a GPS and learned that it is about one-tenth of a mile long. That's really not too shabby for the size because in New York my PP surrounded five acres and was just a hair under half a mile long (if I remember right).

Also, check out Donna's 1/2-acre setup: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Browne+Horses
And the Dutch site has examples of paddock paradise as small as a quarter-acre! The link is on this page: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/account/Gydjulind

It takes a lot of creativity to make PP work with less than an acre, but one acre is generally considered to be the minimum recommended size to start with. Sounds wonderful that you have that to work with, in addition to extra grazing available at your neighbor's -- be sure to plan a convenient gate to access that.
~JoAnn~ 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
tangledmanes
tangledmanes
2. RE: slow feeding with small mesh hay nets
Apr 30 2010, 1:41 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 1:41 PM EDT
" I made my own slow feeding hay nets last weekend and my boys already have adjusted. They aren't crying out to me as soon as I get home for the feeding like they used too. They are also eating 2 flakes of hay for several hours now than 1 1/2 - 2 hours. I'm really impressed!! "
It's like magic, isn't it? Can you post some pictures of your nets? What did you use to make them? Do you find this valuable?    
tangledmanes
tangledmanes
3. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Apr 30 2010, 1:48 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 1:48 PM EDT
"Thank you for any tips.. I live in East Texas with pine trees and sandy soil. Dry hooves are a problem in my existing paddock."
We recently moved from the rich hay fields of upstate NY to central Alabama, where our ground is now mostly sandy. I noticed the horses' feet starting to dry out last summer, and created a "hoof pond" for them to walk through on the track. It worked for us. There will be many revisions to the hoof pond page this year sometime after the baby is born, when we will re-create the hoof pond with sturdier pine logs as walls for attaching the tarp liner. But for now, here's a link to last year's version: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Hoof+Pond
~JoAnn~ Do you find this valuable?    
Hubbardshorses
Hubbardshorses
4. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Apr 30 2010, 8:59 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 8:59 PM EDT
Thank you for such great information. I will check these links out more this weekend. Do you find this valuable?    
Hubbardshorses
Hubbardshorses
5. RE: slow feeding with small mesh hay nets
Apr 30 2010, 9:11 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 30 2010, 9:11 PM EDT
I ended up getting marine fishing net replacement. The ones I found were for a 36 in hoop. And the squares were 1 inch. I did cut a few 2 inch holes around the net to give the boys and easier time learning to use the net. They hold 2 flakes of hays very nicely. They only cost me 8.99. I also bought 2 quick links to close the nets up easier. So far they are holding up to the tossing my husbands horse does with them. (they are loose on the ground at this time) I'm finding my horse seems to prefer these hay net pillows. He goes straight to it before a hay rack or hay bag now. And this is only their 7th day with them. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
poniesathome
poniesathome
6. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
May 1 2010, 5:37 PM EDT | Post edited: May 1 2010, 5:37 PM EDT
Yes indeed. Mine is on an acre (in Ireland). You can see it described on my blog here: http://poniesathome.wordpress.com/paddock-paradise-track-system/ It definitely encourages movement and I would highly recommend it. Good luck! Maire Do you find this valuable?    
BEARCAT70
BEARCAT70
7. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
May 10 2010, 8:13 PM EDT | Post edited: May 10 2010, 8:13 PM EDT
Mine is also on about 1 acre and they move around waaaay more than just being in a paddock. Just opened it up today after the winter and the boys had a blast! Do you find this valuable?    
akyramoto
akyramoto
8. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Nov 13 2010, 12:08 PM EST | Post edited: Nov 13 2010, 12:10 PM EST
I have an acre & I'm starting my PP now, got some posts in- recycling some galvanzed posts that my dad had used for some trees - yay free posts. anyways, I'm making a track around the main pasture area. I have two donkeys, I don't know how well it'll work for donks. But its worth a shot. One of my jennets got a little to fat for my liking last spring on the grass out there. So I'm hoping it'll ease the spring grass pains and keep them moving more.

after I get the first one set up I'm planning another track on the north side of the property. I made these neat cement bases for fiberglass poles, so they can be moved easily. I'm hoping it works! trying to get a nice balance of donk exercise and lawn mowing at the same time!

I've already got my slow feeders, so far I love them, takes them wayyyy longer to eat now. got the net type. Do you find this valuable?    
Sparrow01
Sparrow01
9. RE: slow feeding with small mesh hay nets
Dec 14 2010, 9:47 AM EST | Post edited: Dec 14 2010, 9:47 AM EST
"It's like magic, isn't it? Can you post some pictures of your nets? What did you use to make them? "
Yes - post pics...I have had a year and a 1/2 of hay net experiments - some worked and some did not. Love to see what you are doing. Do you find this valuable?    
Hubbardshorses
Hubbardshorses
10. RE: slow feeding with small mesh hay nets
Dec 17 2010, 2:14 PM EST | Post edited: Dec 17 2010, 2:14 PM EST
Sparrow01. You can see what my netted ones looked like by clicking on my profile. I since have had hard sided feeders made by my husband. And now also have a Big Bale Buddy.. Its been trial and error and such a work in progess. I just took photos of my current track..So much I need to do, but it is a start. I will try and post those today. :) Do you find this valuable?    

ElizabethPA
11. RE: Is it possible to make a paradise on only an acre of land??
Nov 27 2012, 9:20 AM EST | Post edited: Nov 27 2012, 9:20 AM EST
"We recently moved from the rich hay fields of upstate NY to central Alabama, where our ground is now mostly sandy. I noticed the horses' feet starting to dry out last summer, and created a "hoof pond" for them to walk through on the track. It worked for us. There will be many revisions to the hoof pond page this year sometime after the baby is born, when we will re-create the hoof pond with sturdier pine logs as walls for attaching the tarp liner. But for now, here's a link to last year's version: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Hoof+Pond
~JoAnn~"
Is West Nile Virus a threat because of the water not moving? It would be a big problem here in Pa where I live. I think I would need to find a way to keep the mosquitoes out of it. Do you find this valuable?    

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