KrisK Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 I have a farmer who does all my hayfields (about 35 acres) and takes all the hay for his horses. I don't have any livestock (except my ducks) so I don't need the fields for my own grazing purposes yet(a spinner flock of shetland sheep...after the renovations are done!). My neighbour has 2 horses and virtually no pasture. He wants to graze his horses on my fields until the ground starts freezing (around November). I have been getting conflicting information - some say it's okay, some say don't do it. So, does anyone do this? I know that they will have to move the horses around so they don't overgraze but are there other issues? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 I do not graze my horses, or any livestock, on cut hayfields until the grass has gone dormant for the winter. We only get one cutting of hay here (usually in late June-early July) because of the climate, and then the grass will grow back a bit before it goes dormant. I don't want to compromise the grass anymore than haying already does. This is mostly on unfertilized and unirrigated hay fields. Unless they're carefully managed and moved around, horses are hard on grass. They're some of the worst for grazing their favorite spots over & over, leaving the stuff they don't like, and avoiding spots they poop in altogether. In the end, I wouldn't do it. But you should talk to the guy who takes the hay off your field- it'll be his crop that could be affected next year. I love horses, and have them, but managing their pasture is worse than the sheep pastures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 1Unless they're carefully managed and moved around, horses are hard on grass. They're some of the worst for grazing their favorite spots over & over, leaving the stuff they don't like, and avoiding spots they poop in altogether. I agree with this. While we graze our hayfields when they have regrown sufficiently, and sometimes several times each before winter, that is with cattle not horses. Several of our smaller pastures that had been used for a few horses for some years were in bad shape. Grazing with cattle has "renovated" them to be productive, less weedy, and back to their original good condition. You could try strip grazing - use a hot line across the narrow dimension of the hayfield (if it's small enough) and only give the horses a small strip to graze. They will clean it up much better and waste less. You do need to back-fence to avoid them going over and over the grazed area, as Ben described. You can also use temporary fencing (fiberglass poles and polytape - if you have electric fence) to graze small areas in a larger field but you need to move the little "paddock" about frequently. Good luck at making the right decision for your situation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 thanks - I've posted to another board as well.....there are so many different opinions that I guess I'll have to decide what makes sense. I like to keep my neighbours happy if I can...I never know when I'm going to need them for something! I'll definitely talk to the farmer (who is also a neighbour to both of us) to get his opinion. Sue, what you suggested was precisely what I was thinking - move them around enough so that they can't over graze and since it's for a relatively short time (and only two horses), it might be doable. I'll be very happy when it's my shetland sheep grazing on my land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 I graze my horses in a field I occasionally hay (depending upon whether I'm buying hay or having mine own cut and when) but I run my sheep through after the horses - I think this cuts down on the weeds, because the sheep and horses eat different plants. We also regularly spread, fertilize and lime the field, as needed. The field is in beautiful shape (free of noxious weeds). Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 As Kim pointed out, grazing multiple species can be very helpful in seeing that a whole array of plants are grazed reasonably. Back when I was younger, I used to do a great deal of small paddock/strip rotational grazing with our three horses. I never experienced pasture/hayfield degradation when I temp fenced (with polytape, usually) small plots that served the horses for three to five days, and then moved them on to another plot. For years, I did the same here with the three "horse pastures" we used but, when I quit being meticulous, breaking them up into smaller paddocks and fencing the horses out of the recently-grazed sections, the pasture quality went downhill fast as they overgrazed what they liked (the "smooths"), didn't graze where they pooped (the "roughs"), and the weeds that were unpalatable to them just took over (like ragweed). It is amazing what other species will eat and cows and/or sheep and/or goats can result in much better pasture management than single-species grazing - done sequentially or at the same time. The cows tend to keep down the burdock, queen anne's lace, dock, milkweed, and many other "weed" species that the horses wouldn't touch - and get good nutrition doing it and help us avoid the use of any chemical controls. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 We don't hay our horse & goat pasture, but rotating them around certainly keeps the pasture looking much nicer. I don't put too much pressure on my horses because they think hotwire is a game, but I still divide the 10-odd acres into 6 paddocks or so. The goats don't graze with the horses- my horses think goats must be smashed- but they run clean-up afterwards. The goats love the thistles and roses and nettles... Moral of the story is, when you get your sheep, consider grazing the horses behind them. It helps with grass clean-up, and parasite control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 my horses think goats must be smashed- I like your horses. Give them a carrot for me sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 I thought you all might find this kind of funny. The other day I cut all the thistle and burdock along the side of my sheep's winter paddock. I was in a hurry and just piled it (about 4 ft high), rather than burning it. Today, I found all 4 of my horses chomping away on the wilted plants - mind you, these horses have 30 acres of lush pasture . . . Go figure Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted August 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 BURDOCK....now I have lots of that - but not where the horses were going to graze....hmmmm, maybe I'll let them in my back yard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 You might want to cut it before you let them in there (since mine apparently eat cut, wilted burdock, burrs and all!) - if you don't, you'll have tons of fun pulling burrs out of manes and tails. Oh, gosh, it's never boring . . . Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Pull the hair out of the burr, not the burr out of the hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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