EQUESTRIAN LAND MAINTENANCE TIPS

If you keep horses it is important that you maintain your paddock and pasture lands properly since a well-kept green pasture is essential to their health and wellbeing. Horses also cause ruts, holes and furrows to form when the ground is wet and their droppings can prevent the growth of healthy grasses and harbour parasites. Left to its own devices your pasture will become choked with weeds and wild plants suck as docks, thistles and nettles which will stunt the growth of healthy grass.



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EQUESTRIAN LAND MAINTENANCE TIPS

If you keep horses it is important that you maintain your paddock and pasture lands properly since a well-kept green pasture is essential to their health and wellbeing. Horses also cause ruts, holes and furrows to form when the ground is wet and their droppings can prevent the growth of healthy grasses and harbour parasites. Left to its own devices your pasture will become choked with weeds and wild plants suck as docks, thistles and nettles which will stunt the growth of healthy grass.

Pasture maintenance can help prevent this and ensure your paddock remains a healthy and safe environment for your animals. Please find below a few tips on how to keep your paddocks clean and green!   

How much land do I need per horse?
A rough guide to the amount of land required for horses is two acres for the first horse and an additional acre for every additional horse.  

How can I improve my paddocks?
Grass is always greener and more nutritious when it is well managed. To help improve your pasture during the year try doing the following:

Harrowing: Levels uneven areas created by your horses’ hooves. Prepares your pasture for healthy grass growth by removing dead or weak grass and moss from the base of the healthy grass and by scarifying the soil, allowing more light to the soil for improved grass growth. This will give fertiliser a better access to the roots.

Aerating: Allowing more oxygen into the soil allows for better grass yields.

Spraying: Spraying should be done when weeds are actively growing. Spot and boom spraying will kill weeds such as docks, thistles, nettles and buttercups (stops buttercup rash). Eliminating your weeds allows new grass to grow, giving your horse more to eat, and prevents the weeds re-seeding.

Weed Wiping: Like spraying, this should be done when the weeds are actively growing. Weed wiping allows the herbicide to come into direct contact with the weeds and is best carried out when the weeds are taller than the grass.

Topping: Grass should be kept at 5-7cm throughout the growing season. Horses tend to be fussy and not eat grass any longer than about 15cms. Topping also promotes growth at root level and helps encourage new leaf growth and increases sward density, which reduces the opportunity for weeds to grow, protecting your pastures from the effects of hoof damage in winter. If grass is allowed to grow too long it will simply fall over, matt together and and rot in autumn allowing no light to the soil which will dramatically reduce the following years growth.

Seeding: This is essential to improving grass quality. Seeding tired pastures will prevent weeds from establishing in areas that have become bare over winter. It will also help to bind the soil and give your pastures a stronger base.

Rolling: This flattens out any ruts and alleviates the effect of poaching caused by horses, giving new grass a better chance to establish a strong root system. Rolling should be done after harrowing and re-seeding to level and firm up the ground.

Remove droppings: Removing droppings from the grass on a daily basis helps reduce the risk of equine worms and eliminates patches of rank grass to prevent selective grazing.

Fertilising: This helps to maintain the status of the soil and gives important nutrients to promote healthy grass growth. (do not graze your horses for at least 3 weeks after fertilising, provided there has been enough rain to wash the fertiliser into the ground)

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