Keeping your paddock regularly maintained is a very important and often neglected part of your horses care. Having an annual pasture management plan, which suits each paddock individually and for its varying needs at different times of year, will encourage your paddocks to produce nutritious grass, in return reducing supplementary feed costs and creating a happier horse – inside and out.
Professional Paddock Care can maintain your pasture, working around you and your horse, including topping, harrowing, spraying, seeding and fertilising.
Both the quality and quantity of grass are imperative to achieving good grazing. Not all types of grass are suitable for horses, that’s why we use a specifically blended, high-quality grass seed. Re-seeding, over seeding and keeping your paddocks topped will encourage new grass growth and reduce roughs and lawns.
Weeds, such as Thistles, Docks and Ragwort (which is toxic to horses) are also an ongoing concern when achieving that perfect paddock as they compete with the grass. Too keep your weed-count down, it is important to spray your paddocks on a regular basis.
Maintaining the soil structure is vital, since horses create such a high amount of compaction; this in turn, decreases the drainage resulting in waterlogged paddocks and poor root structure. Yearly mole ploughing can help relieve the issue by creating small channels under the soil, this also encourages the grass roots to grow deeper helping to stabilise the ground. Regular harrowing also helps aerate the grass which is another key aspect of good grass health.
Professional Paddock Care can also create a paddock rotation system, to give your grass time to rest and recuperate as over-grazing or unrestricted grazing is a large factor in poor paddock health. Track systems are also another fantastic way of redesigning your space to encourage your horse move; increasing circulation, reducing boredom and great for those with laminitis and weight control issues.
