[SallyintNorth]

Ok, next round of questions...

We are going to put in some 'livestock corridors' to make it easier and safer to move livestock around the farm, without their getting onto the holiday accommodation gardens and so on.

Of course that gives us the opportunity to use them for restricting pony grazing in spring and early summer.

What do I need to know?

We are thinking to make them wide enough that the ponies can stand perpendicular to the fence, does that make sense?

What about any treatment to the surface?  As they'll be getting used in spring/summer, will they be not muddy enough, or should we be thinking about some sort of hard surface/cow track or something?  (Not that I am sure we would decide to spend that much, so I am probably hoping you will all tell me it'll be fine without! )

[ellied]

Not quite sure what you mean about perpendicular but my thought is that ponies need more than that for restricted grazing and other livestock probably better with something wider to pass through too. 

My corridor is about 2 tractors across by the length of the wee paddock it cuts through obviously.  I have a further handling pen the end closest to the barn which is 2 barn entrances wide so I can access either from it and the tractor can just about turn a circle in either pen or corridor as required.  Usually more a 3 point turn when he comes due to mud.  It does get churned up but has a base layer of hardcore under the mud/grass which means little when you're stuck in the surface mud but gives basic support to the tractor and livestock moving through it.

Using the corridor for feeding hay in winter really cuts down the mud in the field it leads to as they come in and out to get fed rather than dragging hay out the feeder and trampling it in the gateway.  Tractor comes once in a while to dig out around the feeders but it's a defined area and well worth the work.  For summer only use you might still need to feed hay so think about siting a feeder or where you'll tie nets if you use them.  And water supply obviously.  I also put a mineral block, large Rockies cube in a feeder to keep it off the ground, somewhere to drill it to is handy.

The other thing I'd suggest is electric top wire - mine is down and I'm forever knocking posts back in as they lean over to sample the other side.  If you're wanting to restrict grazing and area used, it needs to be secure as ponies are creative and persistent about food!

[Rosemary]

We have a 400m track about 10ft wide around one field. We have a sheep hay rack - you know the kind on wheels with a lid in one place - water in another, salt lick in another and scratching post in a fourth place.

Our soild is sandy and that field is particularly dry so it stands up reasonably well in most places, all year. A couple fo bits get a wee bit boggy. The ponies are on the track most fo the time with hay or straw but get into the middle for short periods, the length depending on the tim of year.

The inner track fence is three strand electic on round wooden posts with a two strand coil gate and a 12v leisure battery. I graze sheep in the middle in the spring and summer. We need three strands to be high enough for the big ponies and low enough to stop the Shetland limbo-ing under the bottom one.

Ideally, I'd like to put in an area of round pebbles - for their feet (apparently it's like a massage for them if they are barefoot). I'll take some photos tomorrow.