I believe the book reccomends like 6-8' wide. I originally thought that was much too narrow as I have multiple horses on the track (4-8 at a time) and didn't want fights going on. Coming into my 4th year with the track, I would like to narrow it up from the original 15' I made it to closer to 10-12'. As long at the major congregating areas (near the barn and the feeders) are large enough for movement to get away from each other, the straight ways don't need to be as wide.

Hope that helps.

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I have a mare that is blind in one eye. I have had her run into things, but I believe she would have run into them whether it was a pasture or pp. Not fences, things like a post from a shelter or a gate that wasn't open as wide as she thought it was. I am careful as to who I put her out with so they aren't agressive towards her.

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"I'm trying to decide where and how much mesh to buy to cover a round bale. My bales are 4x4, how much excess should I allow to make sure it's covered. I'm thinking of getting a piece 8x14, but maybe should go 10x14. It seems like the prices have gone way up at Arizona Sports, as I'm not finding mesh for the prices from posts a couple of years ago. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong netting??
Thanks all"

I'm in the same boat. Need more updated information, and can't seem to get anyone to answer my questions.

I will probably take a chance on the Hockey Barrier Netting, which is thinner and cheaper than the Hockey Goal Netting, and hope it holds up.

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I recently changed my bag attachment for the better. I still use the string but instead of tying, I added a heavy duty carbine clip to the end, just simply wrap the string around the post over and over until I reach the end, and clip it to one of the loops on the bag. I have found it much faster and no longer have to fight with the knots. I'm 5 feet tall and I have found if I hang the top of the bag at shoulder level, the bottom is almost exactly at ground level when empty.

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.... at the ends of your top loop, like a bent dumbbell, so they can walk along the path, turn around, and walk back the same way. Maybe put food at one side and water at the other to get them to go back and forth......

I am actually considering a sort of switchback on my place, but it will be very large, with quite a bit of grass and space to lead them through so "hopefully" they do not "stick" Basically just dividing a large paddock into three sections, with large openings at the fence opposite from each other to force them to go the long way and increase movement. Lots of room to go around problem spots. I know narrow paths are the typical, and I'm sure they do create movement, because the few I have they like to canter through, but with our weather we have to give them a lot of room to avoid erosion/mud.

If you live somewhere that mud will be a problem, you may want to make all of your "amenities", moveable as much as possible, or invest whatever time/money you have on making your "stations" weather proof. For example, we made our existing stable "home base" it is on high ground, with an aisle and awning, and push comes to shove I can feed and water there. Sure, I want them wandering all over, but if it rains for a week straight, I can fall back on "plan B". It's pretty cheap to pick up several slow feed nets and move them around, at least for the interim. I think they are like $6 at chick's, in fact I'm ordering some more today.

As for the ditches, even a quick "one shovel wide" depression will direct water temporarily. Slope it so it does not catch a leg. We have sloped shallow ditches all over our place that they simply walk through or step over. You can lay down a tarp, or some feed bags, and get a few bags of gravel at home depot to "patch" a boggy spot to make it usable. Then worry about fixing it permanent when you can.

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