for grain-
Plastic feed pans that are easily cleaned. I actually bring them in the house to clean them. I would LOVE those new Nelson feeders, but our pans are sufficient.
Hay-
We believe that horses should be fed in a natural position so that their sinuses drain. Horses were designed to graze on the ground, so most of our hay is just on the ground. We thought about getting mats to put in the paddock, but we were concerned about them being slippery when wet. They seem to push the hay around off any surface you put it on, so it would be a losing battle anyway. I like to feed in the "hard packed" areas vs. looser soils. We have a couple of "snack bag" hay feeders, but only use those for horses that are locked in stalls.
for barn floors-
We have hauled in gravel for our barn floor. We have one stall that is rubber matted in a corner with a truck bed mat, and would like more. In a couple of other stalls, I have a piece of plywood on the floor in the corner that I feed on. We would like to rubber mat the entire barn including the aisle for dust purposes (my husband is allergic to dust), but that will have to wait.
fencing/pastures-
The area in the front of the property has 3-board white plastic fencing with an electric strand on the top and bottom boards. The back of the property is 3-strand smooth electric. All T-posts have post covers. Some fencing between paddocks is cattle panels. The ONLY time the horses have gotten out was through a gate, never a fence.
how large do you prefer your mini dry lots to be?
Bigger than it is. Right now, their paddock is about 200' by 80'.
how large do you prefer you pastures?
Bigger than it is. It is about an acre. It isn't enough for the 2 big horses and five minis. (Yes, they are all out together and they like it that way. We literally had depressed horses when we separated them.) In the summer, they are out on pasture about 4-6 hours/day. It keeps them less bored, supplements their feed, but doesn't let the minis get too fat. We will be clearing more space next year for more pasture/arena. We want a regulation Driven Dressage arena.
We do have 18 acres of woods that we use for training/trail driving, too.
general Care-
How many hours a day are your Miniatures not stalled? 22-23. They are only in for graining once a day. Each has it's own stall. Since they are used to standing there while we work other horses, they are comfortable in their stalls, which is good for when we go to shows and they are stuck in there.
We will keep them in when the precip is swirling and they can't get out of it even in the shed. Otherwise, they are healthier outside, I don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning stalls, and they like to be out. I may keep 1-2 in that are on the bottom of the pack if they don't find a spot in the shed, so they don't get too wet and risk getting rain rot.
how many times a day do you feed? (Hay & Grain)
Two for hay, one for grain. I realize that more would be good, but it isn't logical unless you can actually do it all the time, including finding someone to do that when we are gone.
There are photos of our facility on our website.