lizstuguinness
Well-Known Member
Hi,
In about two weeks im bringing home my two beautiful new yearling fillies - Tiny and Cardana. I have found a lovely quiet place for them to grow up. Only two other horses, middle aged gelding and elderly mare all on 9 acres of land. Current set up is two perminant fields of equal size (ish) and a large brick barn for shelter. Current land owner harrows fields for worm control and rests one field during the spring/summer to take hay off for winter, then all horses have run of all 9 acres during winter. Grass is good.
I have two options. I can either allow the yearlings to run with the others (once settled in with them) or keep them seperate. Normaly id let them run over all 9 acres however
A) The barn is full of things that stick out, places to get hooves stuck. Its not a safe place for babies! and has the only water supply for the fields.
B) Im not sure i like the idea of just harrowing the fields. The horses are wormed but this sort of management doesnt really work in England, (or does it when you have this much land?) and babies are very subseptible to worms.
So I can either:
A) put up my own fencing, install a water trough and shelter - there is a wooden shelter i can make good for them, poo pick and worm to my own requirements. Labour intensive and expensive.
OR
B) Fence off brick barn, extend current wooden shelter for all horses and install water trough, but have to put up with the harrowing. They have all 9 acres to roam so less problems with mud, and no constantly moving fences to get better grass etc etc.
Or C: stop worying so much, just get a goat so harrowing is fine and horses dont use shelters that much!
I suppose my post is mainly about pasture and worm manangement really, so whats your thoughts on harrowing and worm control?
In about two weeks im bringing home my two beautiful new yearling fillies - Tiny and Cardana. I have found a lovely quiet place for them to grow up. Only two other horses, middle aged gelding and elderly mare all on 9 acres of land. Current set up is two perminant fields of equal size (ish) and a large brick barn for shelter. Current land owner harrows fields for worm control and rests one field during the spring/summer to take hay off for winter, then all horses have run of all 9 acres during winter. Grass is good.
I have two options. I can either allow the yearlings to run with the others (once settled in with them) or keep them seperate. Normaly id let them run over all 9 acres however
A) The barn is full of things that stick out, places to get hooves stuck. Its not a safe place for babies! and has the only water supply for the fields.
B) Im not sure i like the idea of just harrowing the fields. The horses are wormed but this sort of management doesnt really work in England, (or does it when you have this much land?) and babies are very subseptible to worms.
So I can either:
A) put up my own fencing, install a water trough and shelter - there is a wooden shelter i can make good for them, poo pick and worm to my own requirements. Labour intensive and expensive.
OR
B) Fence off brick barn, extend current wooden shelter for all horses and install water trough, but have to put up with the harrowing. They have all 9 acres to roam so less problems with mud, and no constantly moving fences to get better grass etc etc.
Or C: stop worying so much, just get a goat so harrowing is fine and horses dont use shelters that much!
I suppose my post is mainly about pasture and worm manangement really, so whats your thoughts on harrowing and worm control?
