T is is a very clever design using one overhead sun and rain shed that covers two paddocks and just one fence line. photo by dusty perin
than squares can encourage horses to move from place to place and avoid having them standing in one favorite area, compressing the soil and destroying grass or tree roots. Even portable stalls and round pens can be used as temporary holding and grazing areas. Placing water, feed and salt at opposite ends of the pasture will encourage movement.
STORAGE Just as those of us with smaller homes need to be thriſt y about our
storage space, feed and equipment storage needs to be maximized on a small acreage. If you have a tractor, hay can be piled high and kept under bale tarps or a structure such as a fabric and frame building. A fabric building can shelter both your tractor and the hay along with any other toys—ATVs, trailers, carts and buggies—you may have. On any building, eaves troughs can help prevent washouts around
the foundations and mud puddles that will drown out grass roots. If storing a large amount of hay is going to take up too much space,
consider fi nding a farmer who will sell to you as needed. Just be sure you never run all the way through your supply, in case there is an emergency or shortage. On small acreage, a run-in shed may be
a more space-effi cient option than a stable. Run-ins don’t need door and aisle space, which means more compatible horses can fi t into a smaller area. Be sure to position your run-in where it’s high and dry and access is easy for the horses. If you plan to clean the run-in with a tractor bucket, make sure the shed is positioned so there’s room for the tractor to
work. An at ractive and aff ordable option is a portable run-in shed kit that can be easily moved. If you decide to have a barn or shed-row stabling, there are many
designs that work well on small acreages that can be modifi ed to suit your needs. For example, removable walls can convert standing stalls into box or foaling stalls. Loſt s can add vertical space for hay or equipment storage. Even a barn without a full loſt can have a safely built crawl-space to store seasonal equipment like sleigh harnesses and winter blankets. Blanket hangers, folding saddle racks and other space savers can organize your equipment in a small space. Consider storing tack and feed in one room that can be locked against unwanted four or two-legged intruders.
SAVE YOUR HAY, SAVE YOUR PASTURE To prevent hay from being spilled and ground into the soil where
it inevitably turns into a bog in rainy weather, consider bale feeders, round bale bags or one of the new “slow-feeder” designs (see “T e Slow-Feed Revolution,” September Trail Blazer). Be sure whatever you use is made for horse, not cat le. If you use your tractor for fi lling feeders, take into account how the tractor will maneuver into your paddocks. Building hay feeders that are accessible from two sides of a fence can save space and time. Water troughs can be positioned to be reached from more than one paddock as well. While permanent automatic waterers are nice to have, they aren’t convenient if you are moving paddock fences.
MAINTAINING YOUR SMALL PROPERTY
An old adage of the well organized is “a place
for everything and everything in its place.” Most important is a place for manure. On a very small acreage, manure management is essential. Daily clean-up, just as you would clean stalls, is impor- tant. Leaving manure encourages proliferation of internal parasites and fl ying insects, aff ects hoof health, spreads weed seeds, smothers out the grass (horses won’t eat what grows near manure) and looks unsightly. You may choose to do a weekly sweep with
your tractor and harrow to break down and scat er the manure, or you may get out the manure fork and wheelbarrow and do a frequent “stoop and scoop.” In any case, you’ll need to set up an area
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