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Pasture Maintenance
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:
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SPRING
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Put some Fertiliser
on your land to help the grass grow. You may need to roll the ground to
smooth out all those divets created over the winter, especially if it
has been very wet.
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SUMMER
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Weed
Killing and Topping encourages a strong, thick growth of grass.
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AUTUMN
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Topping, Fertilising,
Harrowing and Re-Seeding. Roll the ground to encourage grass growth if you are resting
pasture.
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WINTER
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Weed Killing
again.
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NB
Loamy/heavy soil holds the water more and with this type of soil good husbandry
is essential. Care must be taken about the length of time horses are turned out
on this type of pasture as there is a high risk of poaching. Try not to
overstock the paddocks and make sure you have a fertiliser regime that will
maintain good grass growth Your choice of grass seed is also important to
establish growth in heavy soil.
Other areas to look at:
Fencing
Renovating poached ground
Routine maintenance
Field Safety
Soil Testing
The NFU (Tel:
0870 840 2030) provides the following Free Country
Guide to members: Grassland and
grass keep.
Useful web sites:
DEFRA - CAP: Single Payment Scheme - Horses. All land grazed by horses is
now eligible for the new payment subject to the normal scheme rules. Application
forms should be sent out to existing subsidy claimants in March/April 2005 for
return by 16 May 2005. The process will be well publicised as there are several
groups of potential new claimants. If you have heard nothing by early April, you
should contact the
Rural
Payments Agency (RPA) 0845 601 8045.
Fencing Contractors Association - find a member for
industrial, agricultural, private residential or government/local authority
work.
Countryside Alliance - find a member
for agricultural services
Hindhay - Lime Supply
and Spreading Contractor based in Maidenhead, Berks. Compehensive soil testing for pH, P + K and other
nutrients.
Lime and Fertiliser Spreading service.
Supply of screened chalk and ground Magnesium
Limestone. Agents for Fibrophos PK fertilisers
Also able to carry out a number of grassland
operations such as Topping, Rolling Harrowing etc.
National Association of Agricultural Contractors
- find a contractor
Pasture Management for Horses
Surrey Horse Pasture Management Project
Building Stables
Paddock Maintenance Products
& Services Poisonous Plants
Stable Maintenance Worming
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