Small pastures require more maintenance. If you don’t remove manure, you need to spread it often. If you don’t rotate pastures, or don’t keep horses off them when the ground is soft, you won’t have forage. If you allow overgrazing, the grass will eventually die. And, when the grass dies, weeds proliferate. These problems also occur on larger properties—they just don’t happen as quickly.
Maintaining safe fencing is always a priority on a horse farm, but even more crucial on a small property. More horses per acre equals more pressure on the fence. Horses that can’t graze away the hours will invent things to do, many of which sorely test the fence; they chew, crib, rub, lean on and occasionally run through it trying to get away from one another. Checking the integrity of the fence and making necessary repairs or adjustments are ongoing tasks.