Management of steep paddock

[Exmoor horseman]

Hi

We am about to have my 2 horses (2 x 16.1 ID) at our new house. We have around 2.5 acres of paddock arranged as one field which is well drained but relatively steep.

My question relates to poo picking. With only 2.5 acres of paddock we need to pick up each day which is fine. As the paddock is steep it will be back breaking work I would have thought. The water source is only in one area so taping off sections won't really work.

I have been told conflicting advice as follows:-

1 - get a quad bike and trailer
2 - get a small tractor and trainer
3 - get a mule with rear loading bay

Or do I simply harrow it once a week?

The horses will be out in the daytime all year (unless shocking weather) and in at night Nov-March.

Any advice based on personal experience would be great.

Thanks

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Most of our fields are fairly steep, I poo pick most days. Quad and small tipping trailer works well when the ground is dry but not so good when it's very wet - my quad (650cc) struggles to pull the trailer up the field without making a mess of the ground. So I have to revert to struggling with a wheelbarrow when it's very wet. Yes, it kills but it's cheaper than a gym membership!

Harrowing's fine in hot and dry periods and if you can rest the field for a few months or maybe cross graze with some sheep but if you harrow in the wet all you'll do is spread any parasites, so weekly harrowing wouldn't be my choice.

Note of caution if you do decide to buy a quad - they do tend to attract the wrong sort of attention so you will need to be extra careful, security wise.

 

[Exmoor horseman]

Most of our fields are fairly steep, I poo pick most days. Quad and small tipping trailer works well when the ground is dry but not so good when it's very wet - my quad (650cc) struggles to pull the trailer up the field without making a mess of the ground. So I have to revert to struggling with a wheelbarrow when it's very wet. Yes, it kills but it's cheaper than a gym membership!

Harrowing's fine in hot and dry periods

Thanks! There are v few hot and dry periods on Exmoor so sounds like harrowing is out.

Are you suggesting a quad bike won't have the grip on the steep stuff? Someone else said they can slip on wet grass. Are we better off with a small tractor??

Thanks!

 

[Welly]

We have the same problem and we use a wheelbarrow, tip go along the side of the slope. To be honest it takes longer getting on and off the tractor. I do it every day takes 15 min.

 

[Cobiau Cymreig Wyllt]

My 3 are on 4 acres like this..mountainside so extremely steep in parts...the farmer I rent from will harrow and put sheep in whilst the horses are in another field for a spell.

 

[Exmoor horseman]

Thanks for that. We only have 2.5 acres max and 2 big Irish types.

I think we need to pick every day. Apart from being steep the paddock is a 5 minute walk / 1 minute tractor ride up a steep track from the stables so unless we had a purpose built manure area up in the paddock (or more than one?) we will have a lot of ground to cover.

We were going to remove the poo from the paddock but maybe it is easier to have an in paddock poo pile and just remove once a year?

Thanks

 

[MotherOfChickens]

but maybe it is easier to have an in paddock poo pile and just remove once a year?

Thanks

this is what I am now doing-just site it well as they won't eat grass growing in any run off from it, nowhere too boggy and somewhere where a bigger tractor (if necessary) can access it.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Have a pile in the paddock not too far from the gate, so you CAN get a tractor & trailer to it when dry.

Otherwise, you will find after a while they will often use the same areas each time, so traverse across the paddock with barrow - making sure you get the most heavily soiled area at the end on a downhill swoop.

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Thanks! There are v few hot and dry periods on Exmoor so sounds like harrowing is out.

Are you suggesting a quad bike won't have the grip on the steep stuff? Someone else said they can slip on wet grass. Are we better off with a small tractor??

Thanks!

Not too many hot and dry periods here in Yorkshire either! ;-)

On it's own, the quad in 4 wheel drive manages the steep ok in the wet but I find it struggles when pulling a trailer uphill in the wet, even if the trailer is only part filled. It'll do it but it can make a mess.

Having a poo pile in an easy to access part of the field is a good idea, then you (or friendly farmer) can just move it every so often.

 

[Exmoor horseman]

Having a poo pile in an easy to access part of the field is a good idea, then you (or friendly farmer) can just move it every so often.

OK thanksSo in summary we have the following thoughts:-1) quadbikes aren't as amazing as people say2) by the time you get on / off a tractor you may as well do it by hand3) maybe it's best to have a poo pile in the paddock in an accessible area. Last question - will a farmer remove the poo pile once or twice a year for free to use on their own fields? Or will they want paying??Thanks!!

 

[Exmoor horseman]

Having a poo pile in an easy to access part of the field is a good idea, then you (or friendly farmer) can just move it every so often.

OK thanks So in summary we have the following thoughts:-

1) quadbikes aren't as amazing as people say
2) by the time you get on / off a tractor you may as well do it by hand
3) maybe it's best to have a poo pile in the paddock in an accessible area.

Last question - will a farmer remove the poo pile once or twice a year for free to use on their own fields? Or will they want paying??Thanks!!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Last question - will a farmer remove the poo pile once or twice a year for free to use on their own fields? Or will they want paying??Thanks!!

depends, mostly they want paying-some nominally, some by the ton.

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Last question - will a farmer remove the poo pile once or twice a year for free to use on their own fields? Or will they want paying??Thanks!!

Depends on the farmer. When I first moved here I had to pay (not much but depended on the no. of trips he had to make) but know a couple now who'll take it away for free.

 

[cptrayes]

I think your poo pile should be at the bottom for two reasons - it's easier to wheel an empty barrow uphill than a full one - parasites will be washed downhill by strong rain and contaminate the paddock.

If you have it collected midsummer then accessibility by tractor should be less of an issue.

 

[Mince Pie]

At the yard I'm at we poo pick daily and just tip the barrows in the hedgerows to rot - is that an option?

 

[L&M]

I have a 3 acre winter field which is steeply sloping - fab because it drains so well and brill for keeping the horses fit, but poo picking is a pita!

I use the quad with 2 crates attached to the front and back and put the manure in these. I have 2 designated poo piles that I dump it in, which pretty much rots away whilst the field is rested over the summer.

My quad does not slip or skid on the hill side, even in the snow - you just need to know go with the hill rather than driving sideways across it!

 

[meesha]

Can you make a small track to side of field with electric tape so horses can't get on it and churn it up, then leave wheelbarrow on track and fill manually then wheel down slope to muck heap, if you can hardcore track even better or put down grass mesh stabiliser.