How large should a horse pasture be? Along with size, one must also consider the land. Horses tend be quite tough on land. Unlike cows, who use their tongues, horses graze with their teeth - cutting grasses quite short. And horses love sweets! Spring (and early fall) grasses are high in sugar - if allowed, your horse could founder on all those sweet greens. Studies even show horses eat faster in the spring. Between the biting, over-grazing, and seasonal grasses, horse fencing and land management can seem complicated - so how do you determine the ideal solution?

Ideally, 2-4 acres of pasture is suitable for one horse. Thus, if you have 5 horses, you’d want a 10-acre pasture. Not everyone may have this many acres available, and generally a horse can get by on a 1.5 acres of quality forage. However, there are other methods you may use to manage quality pastures for your horses, including pasture rotation, grazing schedules, and cross-fencing. Combined, this general rule of 2 acres per horse with good pasture management methods, your pasture could provide adequate grasses and prevent your horse from over-eating.

In order to prevent over-grazing and manage pastures that will last for years to come, you need to consider your fencing layout and ability to rotate pastures. Some professionals and horse enthusiasts believe it best to allow horses to roam freely over large areas in favor of natural herd-mentality. With this in mind you can build a larger pasture for multiple horses. For simplicity, we’ll consider a 1-acre pasture, which can be multiplied for the number of acres you need. Others prefer to manage the herd in order to avoid injury or limit the amount of time their horses spend grazing. Various methods of management include, dry-lots, sacrifice lots, stalls, and rotating pastures. Regardless of the method you choose, all can be accomplished simply and affordably with the Cameo Horse Fencing System; whether cross-fencing to create smaller pastures or building separate lots and stalls to start a pasture rotation schedule, your goals can be accomplished safely and within budget.

How many feet of fencing is needed for one acre? To start, an acre is equal to 43,560 square feet. In order to get the linear footage (perimeter) of one acre, you will find the square foot of one acre, which is 208.7 linear feet (one side of your square). So a square shaped acre would be approximately 208.7’ on each side. Your total perimeter, or linear feet for a one acre pasture is 834.8 linear feet. Next, multiply 834.8 times the number of acres you are fencing in for the total number of linear feet of fencing. Finally, determine the amount of fencing line you need; multiply the number of lines by the total number of linear feet.

With so many avenues to consider, make fencing your easiest choice. Cameo Horse Fencing System is affordable, simple, and safe. Not only can it create various pastures, but it’s simplicity makes it a breeze to move and reconfigure pastures as needed. Check out our testimonials, watch our video, or give us a call! Our customer service