Where possible divide the pasture into sections to allow
the land to rest.
Pick up horse droppings on a daily basis to help control
the worm burden and to prevent the grass beneath becoming soured.
Make sure that all horses are wormed at the same time and
everyone keeps to the same worming programme.
Avoid under-grazing land as the grass will grow tall and
turn to seed. The horses will tend to eat the short grass which then gets
shorter. Bare patches might then occur which allows weeds to develop.
"Topping" the grass can help with under-grazing. It is best
for grass to grow to about 4 inches but not more than 6 inches before
grazing it again.
Overgrazing land means that the grass is eaten too low and
again allows weeds to flourish.
Harrow the land in dry, hot conditions. Harrowing
spreads out old dung piles aerates the soil and removes dead grass from
around the roots. Without harrowing the fertiliser's access to the roots may
be restricted.
Rolling the ground may help future growth and will level
out poached areas. rolling should be done after harrowing and re-seeding to
level and firm up the ground.
Fertiliser can be spread at the beginning of the rest
period.
Check on a daily basis that all fencing is secure and that
there is a supply of clean drinking water.
Fence off any area that is liable to get very wet to avoid
poaching.
If gateways become very muddy it may be an idea to put down
hardcore.
Re-Seeding can be combined with harrowing. The correct choice of grass seed mixture is vital, horses
not only require nutritious grass but also require a harder wearing grass than many other animals.
Generally it is better to try to improve pasture than to dig it up and
re-seed it.
