Good Grass Needs Good Care
Grass is not just a plant we often overlook, but a vital crop that requires meticulous care—especially if being used for horse grazing. Ensuring multiple paddocks for rotational grazing and appropriate upkeep methods can significantly enhance the quality and utility of this crop.
Understanding the Ideal Grazing Environment
When keeping horses that live outdoors throughout all seasons, it’s advisable to have more than one grazing patch available. This concept suggests that owning two smaller paddocks could potentially be more beneficial than a singular larger one. The reason being that while one paddock is being used, the other has a chance to rejuvenate and rest. If you’re stuck with just one large field, don’t worry—simply partition it into two. This will provide the same opportunity for rotation. Continuous grazing on the same land can degrade its quality, rendering it “horse-sick,” leading to the growth of coarse, unappealing herbage—a scenario we wish to avoid.
Paddock Maintenance: Harrowing and Rolling
Management of the resting paddock can be amplified by chain-harrowing and rolling, preferably near the end of winter or the dawn of spring. Harrowing serves to distribute horse droppings evenly across the entire field. This process also eliminates moss, tears out matted grass clusters, and promotes airflow into the soil.
Dealing with Droppings: Parasite Prevention
Neglecting to handle horse droppings can be detrimental. The dung can smother the underlying plants and become a breeding ground for worm parasites. In fact, horses have an innate aversion towards grazing near droppings to avoid parasite infection. Interestingly, this behavior creates areas of untouched “rough”—patches laden with weeds and droppings which results in unutilized grazing space. Harrowing does alleviate the issue by dispersing the droppings, but the most effective method of controlling worms is by physically removing the droppings from the pasture.
If this practice is repeated at least twice a week, the pasture can be kept relatively clean of worm contaminants. This protocol allows horses to wander and graze freely across the entire area, thus minimizing any potential wastage.
Worm Control: Essential Factor in Pasture Management
Effective worm control is a significant aspect of pasture management. Particularly, overcrowded or over-grazed pastures compel horses to feed near their droppings, thereby elevating the risk of worm intake. Worm larvae can endure harsh winters too, lying in wait to infect horses that graze during spring. However, a well-managed pasture that remains horse-free until June will have most of their worm larvae population dead— therby providing a safer grazing pasture for young horses who are more vulnerable to worms.
Worming horses while they’re at grass is crucial for restricting pasture contamination. Remember, it’s key that every horse sharing the grazing land is wormed simultaneously—if you worm just one horse, the exercise is almost futile. The critical worming periods are towards the end of May or start of June and again in late August or early September. Strategic worming during these periods can vastly decrease pasture worm larvae levels. One thing to refrain from is distributing stable manure onto horse paddocks.
By adhering to these principles of management, you can maintain healthy, viable pastures that benefit both your horses and the grass they depend on—all while keeping worm contamination at bay.
The Hows and Whys of Horse Grazing Management
Horses have peculiar grazing habits and picking up after them has its tricks. They will often chow down only the best patches of grass, leaving the rest untouched. This behavior can result in uneven patches of tall, coarse grass. Taking care of these equine idiosyncrasies requires efficient grazing management.
Dealing with Uneven Grazing: Mowing and Weeding
Horses tend to selectively nibble on their preferred sections of grass, ignoring some areas. The end result can be a turf with patchy, overgrown and coarse grass. It’s necessary to mow these parts to maintain an even grass distribution across the paddock.
Similarly, interventions must be done to eradicate thistles and other irritating weeds. This can be achieved in two steps: first, cutting down or treating these unwanted guests with weed killer when the paddock is vacant and; followed by collecting and burning the residue. Managing weeds is crucial in maintaining optimal conditions for the grass to thrive.
Incorporating Cattle and Sheep for Maintenance
In a plot twist of grazing habits, cattle and sheep can be your best allies in paddock management. These creatures are less picky about their diet and will consume grass from parts that horses deem undesirable. Another benefit of having them around is they serve as natural cleaners for worm parasites.
Cattle and sheep harbor different worm parasites than horses. So, when they eat grass contaminated with horse worms, they don’t get infected. Instead, they aid in cleaning up the pastures without falling sick, a classic case of turning pests into paddock proteges.
Necessary Ground Keeping: The Practice of Rolling
Ground maintenance extends beyond managing grass and animals. The soil structure too demands attention. Rolling the ground is a vital practice, particularly when it has been disturbed or churned up by horses’ hooves during winter.
This practice helps level out the soil, incorporating any unevenness and compacting it to ensure a stable footing for your horses. So, just as you groom your horses, think of rolling as grooming your paddocks—both are vital to preserving the integrity of your pastures.
Effectively managing your equine pastures involves integrating these varied tasks. Keep in mind that the ultimate goal is to create a healthy, productive, and attractive space for your horses to happily graze in all seasons.
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Hay Production
The feasibility of harvesting hay from a resting paddock is one that horse owners often contemplate. Although not universally deemed the best practice, the decision remains subjective, dependent on individual circumstances, and aims to strike a balance between the benefits and drawbacks.
Assessing the Suitability of Grazing vs. Hay Production
Traditionally, it is believed that land designated purely for grazing produces the most suitable grass for horses while the same rule applies to land reserved for hay production. As a result, it may seem counterintuitive to use resting paddocks for hay harvesting. However, the merits of this approach may outweigh potential downsides in certain situations.
Deciding Factors for Hay Harvesting
An essential aspect to consider when deciding whether to harvest hay from a resting paddock is the value of preserving succulent spring grass. Sacrificing the rich nourishment of spring grass for a small quantity of potentially subpar hay might not be in the best interest of your horses.
Ultimately, the decision to harvest hay or not rests in the hands of the horse owner. Factors to weigh in on this decision include the specific circumstances surrounding the grazing land and the balance between winter hay (regardless of quality) and summer grass availability. Each horse owner must carefully assess these factors and decide the best course of action for their unique situation.
Fertilizing Horse Grazing Land: Dos and Don’ts
Applying suitable fertilizers can significantly improve the quality of horse grazing land. Understanding the right types and quantities of fertilizers required is crucial to maintaining healthy pastures, and soil analysis can be a valuable tool in making informed decisions.
Conducting Soil Analysis
Before using fertilizers, conducting soil analysis can help determine which nutrients are lacking and in what quantities they should be replenished. This analysis is the first step in tailoring an appropriate fertilization strategy for your horse paddocks.
Choosing the Appropriate Fertilizers
Potash and lime are some common fertilizers that horse owners may apply to improve pasture conditions. However, it’s essential to avoid excessive nitrogen levels frequently used in grassland for farmstock, as they are not recommended for horse grazing. Nitrogen-rich environments can pose a high risk of laminitis when ponies graze, rendering the lush pasture unsuitable.
Using Top Dressings to Enhance Soil Quality
By carefully regulating the use of top dressings, horse owners can further enhance the soil quality of their grazing land. Some examples of beneficial top dressings include lime, kainit, and basic slag. Keep in mind that the specific type of top dressing and quantity needed depends on the nature of the soil.
By understanding the unique nutritional requirements of horse grazing land and adopting a tailored fertilization approach, horse owners can strike the perfect nutrient balance that benefits both their horses and the grass they rely on.
