Room...with a view! Horse space

From Jim: So how much room does a horse need? Really? We know that in a natural setting, horses cover around 10 miles a day. We know it is the horse's nature to move, to travel in several different gaits, to play, buck, rear and kick, and so on. An average sized horse requires an area 50' by 150' to perform all of the activities it is capable of doing. The dimensions are flexible, but a straight run which doesn't require a very sharp turn or quick stop is what's needed. Horses like to move about. They are healthier when they can give themselves exercise and, when with other horses, get in some social activity. There are those who argue for flat soft ground. I'm of the "slopes and slants" school, and a rougher terrain makes for better feet and balance-and more attention to what you're doing. I like horses that look around and make good choices in where they're going. I prefer that their hooves are unshod and as near natural as possible. Rougher ground helps this to happen. Slopes and slants build muscle and coordination. That said, obvious hazards that can cause injuries need to be removed from a horse's turn-out and it makes sense to check for anything new that might become a problem pretty often. It's surprising how much dirt horse's move around when they travel. Some of our turn-outs are starting to look terraced. We don't have ruts along the fence lines. I think it's because there's enough room that pacing the fences doesn't happen much. Another nice thing about slopy slanty ground is that it drains quickly. That means less mud and mire. (We still have more than we want!) Everyone of our turn-outs has enough flat ground to provide a good spot to roll. There's also access to shade, wind breaks and sunny spots for naps. We do not have white rail fences on lush pastures. We have allowed our ground to become pretty barren as a nod to our high fire danger in the foothills. Ladder fuel can be a real issue for us. The more our equines can live a "normal" life, the better. We have to feed hay as most of our herd couldn't maintain of pasture alone. We've taken in a number of senior horses that were "put out to pasture" and nearly starved to death. They just don't have the teeth and the pasture didn't have the nutritional value. So, I guess the take-away lesson here is to make sure horses have enough room to do what horses do. If that includes some grazing that's good. If there's a way to meet social and conditioning needs that's good. If the ground promotes healthier feet that's good. A 12'x12' stall with a 12'x12' run out is just not sufficient in my opinion. If your animal is boarded, make sure they get ample turn-out time. Be sure to spend some of with your critter. You'll both like it!