Hello, I will be buying a house soon and want to get 2 miniature horses. Does anyone know what the zoning laws are for miniature horses in Maryland? I'm flexible on the county I live in. But most things I find pertains to full size horses who need a large pasture to graze. Also does anyone here house mini horses on a small lot?
Space needed for miniature horses in Maryland
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chandab
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I don't know Maryland specifically, but many zoning laws don't differentiate between sizes with equines. If the law says 1 acre per horse, that goes for any size.
We have more land, as we have cattle, but I only have easy access to a couple acres; I have a couple large drylots and then rotate pasture areas, and even then we'll run out of grass in the summer sometimes (depends on the rain), so I feed hay year-round (in the summer they graze during the morning/day, and are drylot at night with hay; winter they are in drylot all the time due to snow depth).
We have more land, as we have cattle, but I only have easy access to a couple acres; I have a couple large drylots and then rotate pasture areas, and even then we'll run out of grass in the summer sometimes (depends on the rain), so I feed hay year-round (in the summer they graze during the morning/day, and are drylot at night with hay; winter they are in drylot all the time due to snow depth).
I would suggest that you go to the county courthouse mabe even the judge executive and start asking questions and explaining what you have in mind and exactly how big ( or small ) a mini is. Then you and them will be on the same page.
HI Tora45,
This is my first time responding to a post. I keep making mistakes in my posting attempts. I live in Maryland and I have been through the wringer regarding the livestock and zoning. I have w minis and we built our barn this past April of 2019.
What county are you searching? I live in Frederick, County. I have 2 acres, but I am in reserved forestry area so I qualify to keep livestock/agriculture.
This is a place to start but DON'T rely on it completely. Every county has their own planning and zoning laws, based on the universal codes and laws, but amended to suit the needs of that particular county.
I'm happy to answer any questions pertaining to Frederick county as I have a good working knowledge of the zoning laws.
Here is a link to PDF file, entitled County Zoning and Horses in Maryland.
https://elcr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MHC-Guide-to-County-Zoning-Horses.pdf
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msimmers
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I'm in Hagerstown which is in Washington county. Our property is zoned agricultural.
We have one mini on a dry lot. We only have a little over an acre, so not much land at all. I'm hoping to fence off a little grazing areas for her. She is metabolic, so I need to monitor her grass intake. But I would like her moving around. More. I'm also wanting to get her a buddy, but have to get hubby on that page.
So in answer to your question, I think my acre can handle two minis.
Where are you in Maryland?
You're probably a hop, skip and jump from me. We are about 1/4 mile from the Washington Monument State Park, across the Washington county line (In Frederick, County). I don't graze my boys at all. We have a simple little set up. You are welcome to see it. I will be happy to take some pictures and post if you would like to see.
I have a balanced diet I'm willing to share in a pm. What we do works for us. It may not work for everyone else, but it definitely works here. Different strokes for different folks (as they say).
I have a balanced diet I'm willing to share in a pm. What we do works for us. It may not work for everyone else, but it definitely works here. Different strokes for different folks (as they say).
msimmers
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I'm always interested in other people's set ups ! Pics would be great ! And same with diet. I feed her low sugar / starch diet. We need more exercise lol.
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Curious if you found a place and what the zoning was. We are looking in Baltimore Co. I think it’s 2 minis per acre bit not sure if you can put them in a residential neighborhood. Did you get your horses?
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Curious if you found a house and got your minis? We bought this past summer in Baltimore County.
