Improving pasture - long post , several questions!

coffeeandabagel

coffeeandabagel

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I have just moved my horses to a new private yard (just the owners horse and mine) where they can be out 24/7. I have never had any influence on or interest in pasture management before. The place isnt huge, but there are 4 paddocks totalling about 3 or 4 acres and a neglected & abandonded hay field of about 6 or 7 acres that is weedy, rabbit infested and just topped and left this spring I think. It has a deep thatch to it, so much so that I didnt feel happy riding over it. I was hoping to find a flat bit to school on but its too deep! The main paddocks have some degree of thatch too.Since the boys will be out so much I am really keen to make the most of the pasture. It was poo picked partially before i came but there are old dry poos and some areas where no grass grows. Lots of thistles.I dont think the owner has much cash at the moment - one of the reasons she wanted a livery - so not sure she will invest in the fields.Questions: While I poo pick should I try and get the old stuff too?Is harrowing the way to remove the thatch? When is the best time?Would sheep help the hay field's weeds so 1) it could be cut as hay next year or 2) it could be additional grazing?What to do about rabbits - lots of holes in the hay field but not in the paddocks but would limit its use as pasture.Anyone reccomend a good book on this topic?
 
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Harrowing will help with the removal of dead grass, aerate the soil and help new grass grow, it will also distribute the old muck and help it absorb into the soil. You can harrow now, the soil needs to be damp but not so wet that you make a mess.
Rabbit holes can be dug out and refilled, it's a pain, but the only way to go, really.
Thistles are best dug out, although you could cut off the heads before they seed for starters, that should at least stop them spreading.
Sheep are the best thing ever for grassland, but they won't eat thistles or docks, they will eat all other weeds including ragwort, though.
The areas where no grass grows need re-seeding and now is as good a time as any, spread some seed (you could shake that out from decent hay ;)) rake in and roll to stop birds picking them.
If you poo pick and graze/cut for hay without rotating with other species, you will have to eventually fertilise - and again, sheep would do that for you for free :)
 
A good post by Martlin. I'd invest in a knapsack sprayer and deal with the weeds by spot spraying with a selective weed killer that kills broad leaved weeds but not grass.

If your fences are good and there is local demand, I would definitely try to get someone with sheep to graze it down over winter. They will eat it down and eat a fair bit of the thatch too. And you could get paid for it, but don't raise your hopes too high!

Get some ferretters in for the rabbits. I'm afraid I just drive over the holes with the tractor which partly fills them in by knocking down the sides but leaves a depression.
 
I've found this book really interesting - it's quite technical but good for answering detailed questions

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Managing-Grass-Horses-Responsible-Owners/dp/0851318568

If the old poos are n the field they are grazing now I would pick them, I find old dried ones take ages to desintegrate so only harrow when I can rest the field for 6 ish months.

Have an ask around local farmers/ neighbours you might find someone who wants to shoot rabbits for free - ferrets are great but they only come at a certain time of the year (when baby rabbits aren't around)
 
Thanks for your suggestions - I love the idea of sheep but hay field is largely unfenced so i will talk to the owner to see what she thinks, perhaps sheep owner would have own netting?.The paddocks have post and rails so not sheep proof either. Shooting the rabbits is also a good idea but my husband is a fluffy bunny himself andf might not be happy if I arrange that!
The hay man came this morning with my delivery and he says he could top and harrow any of the fields now and they might start regrowth this year. If I want to reseed (I get lots of seeds collect in the bottom of the horses hay boxes) I would need to do it that after harrowing - if she doesnt want the expense its a lot of field to do with a garden scarifying fork! They seem to have a roller but not sure what they towed it with or if they got a pro in - me I have a 4x4 but not sure if I could use that or have the skill to cope with the hummocks etc! I will talk to owner now I have some ideas and see what she is happy to get done, and then what I might need to improvise with myself. I so wish it was mine - I would have a progamme set up and charts on the wall saying what was being done when, sheep and shooter booked, etc etc!
In the meantime I will pick any poos I see and grub out mats of dead grass as I go.
 
Just though of more questions - given that there is a lot of grass matted up on the hay field - what will happen to it if it is harrowed? Would harrowing collect it up so it can be removed (sorry for complete ignorance) or just leave it on the surface still?

Lastly - is it always necessary to wait 6 months after harrowing? if so shall we graze the other paddocks over winter, poo pick if I can according to weather, then harrow and leave for the summer ready for next winter. If I am rotating fields over the winter how long in each - till it gets muddy or till the grass just looks thin?
 
a word on sheep and fencing - local sheep farmer might supply their own electric fencing for seasonal grazing, BUT you need to graze sheep really hard to get rid of weeds, which means that a bit of electric fencing just won't do.
 
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