one more question

Question
How much land would be adequate for one pony and two pygmy goats?  What is the minimum I could have them on, if I excercised the horse daily?  I am on 1.1 acres, the front yard is very small, then there is the house, then the entire back yard.  It is privacy fenced in, 99 total posts.  I would seperate the back yard in two, one side for my actual children and the other side for the animals.  Do you think this would be ok?  What type of fence should I use to seperate the two halves of land?  I am also going to build a shelter for the animals.  I was thinking of building like two stalls, one closed in with a door, and the other side open and used as a run in.  Do you have any suggestions on how I should go about building that?  Ok, I think that is all of my questions right now, thanks again in advance

Answer
Hey Justin, there are varied land verses animal beliefs out there.  Depending on if you plan on feeding hay or letting the land feed your horse.  Not sure how much goats eat, but the standard is somewhere around 1 horse per acre of full grassland, if you don't want to feed.  Of course if you put a house, out building, garage, barn, your acre gets small very quick.  I am a big believer in bigger is better.  I do not like to cut land with fences.  Fences require fixing and repair, create more places for animals to get cut or hurt, and cost money that could be better spent on cover, barns and care.  If you leave a couple of horses out on an acre full time with no feed, they will reduce it to a dirt pasture pretty fast.  If you are just looking at making a big stall or holding pen and you plan on feeding the pony twice or three times a day, then size is not that big of a deal.  I would think your kids could play in the same area the goat and pony were kept and if this area is bigger, you will not have the problem of poop building up in a smaller area.  

Most counties ordinance allow 2 horses per acres, that is max and not ideal.  I think 2 acres per horse is optimal and is best for animal and owner.  This will keep the flies down, keep the poop spread out and give time for it to dissipate into the ground and not pile up.  

As for building cover, a simple two sided or three sided cover is good.  Check the area and find out where the strong winds go so you can make sure you put the cover facing the right way.  The winds may change in Winter and rain, so that is when they need it most.  Summer it will only be shade so wind blocks are not that important.  Pick high ground or high point to put cover, when it rains you don't mud and water to gather in the covered area.  Raise the footing if you can and maybe some rubber mats, so the pony can have a dry place to stand in the wet months, this will help his feet stay in good conditions.

As for style, I like the three wall cover, not the box type.  If looking down on a pie, and if you cut the pie in thirds, the cuts will be your walls.  One pole in middle of pie, one pole at each end of cut for a total of four poles, then put 2x6 or 2x4 for walls.  This way you create cover not matter which way the wind blows and the horse can pick where he wants to stand without feeling trapped or boxed.  Once you build the three walls, just put  roof on and you are in business.  Use Screws and not nails, at least put concrete on the middle pole and better if you do that on all four poles.

If you decide to put up more fencing, NO CORNERS.  You can review my web site about corners under Horseman tips.  

If I did not explain the three sided cover well enough let me know I will draw a sketch for you.

take care, Rick