I've found a field...

J

Jinx94

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Well, one of my friends used to keep her horse in it, it hasn't been used for a while and needs quite a lot of work. I'm planning on renting it, and I've been trying to find out how to prepare it for a horse. Now, this may be a daft question, but is harrowing the same as turning the ground over with, say, a fork? and if not, is it still something that can be done by hand?
Also, what else do I need to do? Basically, I need an idiots guide to preparing a field :o

any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks :)
 
You can only harrow a field with a tractor, I am a big fan of doing things myself on the cheap, but there is no way you can do that by hand no matter how strong you are! A local farmer will be able to help you for a very reasonable price. However, if you harrow it you need to re-seed it and then you need to rest it for between 6 and 12 months before you can put horses on it, so are you sure it needs re-seeding?

What is wrong with the field at the moment? Is it nice and level but has a lot of weeds? You may be able to deal with that with spraying weed killer. Depending on the size of the field this is a job you can do yourself with a back-pack sprayer, but wear gloves and protective equipment, and read the instructions, most weedkillers are harmful to animals so you would need to rest the field for at least two weeks before putting the horses on there.

If the field has grass but it is poor then you need some fertiliser. You can get the soil analysed and see what is missing so you can fertilise accordingly. If there is a friendly farmer nearby perhaps they can advise you, but do point out to them that the field will be used by horses and you don't want super rich grass suitable for cattle as this may cause laminitis. Depending on the size of the field you could spread the fertiliser by hand but wear gloves and possibly a mask.

For both weedkilling and fertilising it's worth getting a quote from your local farmer, not only can they purchase the products are cheaper prices in bulk, but with the right machinery it's a very quick job.

Other things to look out for is the fencing. Is it secure and suitable for horses? Do you have a water supply to the field? It's also worth thinking about security, e.g. paddlocks for gates.
 
Jinx - If you try and describe the state of said paddock/field then it will be easier to try and advise you on the work you need to get done.

If it hasnt been grazed for a while it might need topping, bound to have a few weed patches etc, as for harrowing, this can be done without the need to re-seed, ive done my fair amount of harrowing in the past on ground thats cropped for hay every year and it just airs the soil encouraging new grass spurs to grow and also ripping out any dead grass at the same time.
 
Now that I've taken a closer look at it, the field is patchy in areas, and there are loads of weeds. As far as I know, it hasn't been grazed for at least the past three years, and as the owners don't use it, I think that it has just been left. Also it is completely surrounded by trees, but would it be a good idea to put up a field shelter since the horse would live out all year round?

and thank you :)
 
Maybe it will be a good idea then to get someone in with a topper, this will encourage the grass to grow again and knock down all the grass that has gone to seed and chop your weeds up, once it greens over put the horse on it and let it sort it out, cheapest option without spending too much on diffrent things that sometimes dont work.

Depending on size of field, always a good idea to half it or quater it up, and then rotate the horse (s) between them, giving areas a chance to rest, if on a hill or got a low bit often get these into rest over the winter so horse isnt knee high in mud.

It all depends on how much you want to spend, as a field shelter is a good idea which will be another expense so no point chucking money down the drain on re-seed's or fertalizer if its not going to work or a waste of time!
 
Sorry my fault!!! I read the 'turning the ground over' bit and my mind stuck on rotivating the whole field and reseeding! You can certainly harrow without reseeding, small harrows can be towed behind a 4x4 but larger ones with a tractor may do a better job.
 
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