Paddocks and Grass

Lots of people have heard the word ‘paddock,’ but they might not know exactly what a paddock is. That makes sense, since a lot of people don’t have a lot of experience with horses these days. Only horse owners and handlers will really have a lot of experience with paddocks. A paddock is a small stretch of land where people keep their horses.

The horses will not stay in the paddocks all the time, of course. They will need a degree of shelter at night and at some points during the day. However, they will spend time in their paddocks in order to get the exercise that they need. Horses can barely move at all when they’re in their stables. They absolutely need a lot of space in order to truly move around and use their muscles. Horses are animals who feel compelled to get a lot of exercise all the time, and that part of the process becomes easier for the horses who have access to sufficiently spacious paddocks.

Some paddocks will have very solid enclosures. This will make it easier for the horses to stay safe. Horse owners need to make sure that their horses are kept away from toxic plants, some of which will grow casually in nature. Horses aren’t always careful about what they will eat and what they won’t eat. It’s just as important to make sure that the paddock is free of all other natural hazards. As such, paddocks have to be maintained and cleaned very carefully. Horses need to have a lot of uninterrupted space for the sake of getting the exercise that they need.

Horses will tend to eat the grass in their paddocks, and they can’t get all of their nutrition from that. The grass in paddocks will need to get maintained carefully, even if the horses eat a lot of it.