There should be at least 600 square feet per horse but paddocks should be less than one acre. Shape – Adjust the shape of the paddock to account for the topography, drainage patterns, availability of land and horse’s requirements, e.g. consider a paddock 20′ x 100′ versus 40′ x 50′.

You cannot successfully run horses on gradients steeper than that and keep pasture or topsoil.!!! Any more slope than that and you will have major top soil shift downhill and water run-off problems, causing erosion. The more slope, the more weed seed runoff you will get. This will cause infestation in other areas.

The presence of hills in a horse’s life can offer major benefits. Horses raised on hilly pastures tend to have stronger hindquarters, better balance on varying terrain and a good sense of where their feet are.

1,200 square feet

Footings, such as hogfuel (chipped or shredded wood products), gravel (crushed rock) or coarse sand can go a long way in reducing mud. Gravel and coarse washed sand are probably the most useful and most available.

Be aware that if your horses are barefoot, fine gravel particles can become lodged in the white line area of your horses hoof and, if not removed on a regular basis, can cause flaring, splitting or even abscess. It’s best to pick your horses’ hooves daily or weekly even if you are not riding them.

A substance commonly called hog fuel can help absorb excess water in your horse’s paddock. Wood chips or shavings, shredded bark and log peelings all fit into this category. Readily available in areas with a logging industry, such as the Pacific Northwest, hog fuel is one of the least expensive materials you can use.

Horses never had any issues but the wood chips only work if you pack them deep and then add more on a regular basis. I talked them into getting small gravel (it was the next size up from pea gravel I think). I just placed it at the gate and in front of my horses shelter.

Wood chips or shavings containing as little as 5 percent black walnut have been found to cause laminitis (founder), which can result in debilitation or death of the horse.

Pine shavings are usually the most common kind of shavings used in the horse industry, as most horses don’t have skin reactions to this kind of wood. The limitation is that if too green, the sap might still be in the shavings and cause irritation to the horse. Cedar is another popular choice.

The most readily available wood shavings are made from pine or fir trees. These shavings cost less than other types of wood, and are sufficiently fragrant to help mask the stench created by urine and feces. Other softwoods, such as spruce, also work well for stall bedding.

Black walnut shavings are a toxic bedding for horses. The innermost wood of the black walnut causes toxicity after oral or skin contact. Bedding containing as little as 20 percent fresh black walnut shavings made from old or new wood can cause toxicity.

Straw is also the bedding of choice for foaling, as opposed to wood shavings. “If you are foaling on shavings or sawdust, the new wet baby gets completely covered with this material and the mare has a harder time licking the foal,” Nielsen explains. “This is not an issue with straw.”

Bedding Types

• Wheat Straw. Wheat straw is the most common type used.
• Barley Straw. Barley Straw is often the least expensive but is not always the most suitable for horses.
• Oat Straw. Oat Straw is often of higher quality and more golden in colour; however, horses can be more inclined to eat this type of straw.

Straw

Miscanthus is a sustainable, highly absorbent alternative for horse bedding.

The word “bedding” is a bit of a misnomer in the horse world. But horses by nature don’t need a soft, fluffy bed, unless there are particular concerns, such as old horses who might lie down frequently or stay down for longer periods of time. The primary purpose of bedding is to absorb urine and moisture.

Sorbeo is the most cost-effective, high-quality pellet bedding around and will probably cost you less than any cheap horse bedding on the market. Why? Because Sorbeo is highly absorbent, 100% natural, and you get more for your money.

The deep litter method, used for straw or shavings, involves removing the droppings and laying fresh bedding on top of the existing material. The entire bed is removed every three or four months but this is only suitable for dry, well ventilated stables.