Netflix Attenborough documentary

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sherry90

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Did anyone else watch this at the weekend?

I did. It made me reflect on a few things but relating it back to horses (as I do with most things!) it got me thinking about the apparent increase in colic, laminitis and other gut/metabolic associated issues horses can have and how the change to our environment could be causing this. I’m no scientist but the soil and therefore grass that grows from this must change in structure due to our ever changing weather and hap hazard seasons...could this be the reason we are now seeing so many horses who are laminitic, PPID, prone to colic, ulcers etc etc?
 
Useless info because I cant remember where I read it but I did read something about a lack of earthworms

I think it was because of over working soil and what we put into it chemical wise. This is leading to less earthworms and they do a good job of making soil more nutritious (?). Might be completely making it up as the only point I remember is no earthworms.

Since reading it I've been on a hunt for them and I wasnt finding any. This isnuesr 2 on our land and only just starting to see a few when poo picking.

So things are definitely changing because I remember the days when you turned over any soil you'd find worms
 
Also made me wonder how sustainable horse owning will be in years to come given how unpredictable hay and straw making is becoming due to the weather! Perhaps not in our lifetime but I suspect many people will be priced out of being able to afford or simply not able to source the hay/bedding!
 
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I suspect that many horses are being kept on land that is more intensively managed than in years gone by so the diversity of plants in pasture is much less than 50 or 100 years ago. This might also be a consequence of many yards having to keep horses on a fairly limited area of land. We are in the SE of England and land prices here are astronomical so my yard owner would need a lottery win to be able to expand the grazing they own so they try to grow as much grass on the land they have. I also wonder if many people choose a yard because of nice, neat grass grazing/turnout - diverse botany often looks much less tidy but allows horses to browse as well as graze a wide variety of plants. A lot of modern pasture must be like the horse equivalent of eating white bread much of the time.
Horses (and many humans) are getting much less exercise than years ago and this has contributed to metabolic and other health issues. Improvements in veterinary science mean health issues may be more easily diagnosed and owners are willing to take the time and spend money on their equines to keep them in good health.

I think it is hard to predict whether horse owning might become less sustainable. As the climate warms this might mean more year-round grass so decreasing the need for hay and meaning that animals can remain turned out all year. However, winters are likely to become wetter and summers drier meaning that extra forage might be needed in the summer but that paddocks become water-logged and unusable in winter.

My students calculated that horses in this country have a carbon hoof-print of 4-5 tons per year. Most of this is due to owners (like myself) travelling to their horses once or twice a day. This will decrease as petrol/diesel vehicles are phased out. The carbon hoofprint of horses that are kept 'at home' with their owners/carers is substantially less, unless they are travelling very regularly to competitions.
 
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cremedemonthe said:
Tons of worms here, I pick them up up the lane when walking the dogs and chuck them in the hedges, they try to get across the road, get too dry halfway across and conk out.
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Yes, it's sad to see them on the road, in the sun, trying in vain to get to the other side. I also pick them up when there are not too many. One day in particular I saw LOTS. Apparently they are on the move, bags packed, and choose to travel this way above soil to get to where they are going sooner. It's just a bummer when the sun comes out.

Worms don't like ploughing or pesticides. They do love a good lump of clayey soil which holds its structure because it hasn't been overworked (by machinery).

I think one of the most beneficial ... benefits of earthworms is their aeration of the soil.

Unfortunately these days the use of pesticides is treated as part of life. The fact they are poisons is overlooked by many. I won't mount one of my hobby horses but it's always saddened me the way people are so quick to use or recommend poison.
 
Have to remember our wormers will kill earth worms too... and lots of other organisms. less wormer use (use testing and pasture management to lessen burdens) will help.
 
Lois Lame said:
Yes, it's sad to see them on the road, in the sun, trying in vain to get to the other side. I also pick them up when there are not too many. One day in particular I saw LOTS. Apparently they are on the move, bags packed, and choose to travel this way above soil to get to where they are going sooner. It's just a bummer when the sun comes out.

Worms don't like ploughing or pesticides. They do love a good lump of clayey soil which holds its structure because it hasn't been overworked (by machinery).

I think one of the most beneficial ... benefits of earthworms is their aeration of the soil.

Unfortunately these days the use of pesticides is treated as part of life. The fact they are poisons is overlooked by many. I won't mount one of my hobby horses but it's always saddened me the way people are so quick to use or recommend poison.
Click to expand...

We don't have pesticides here, all grass and all grass fed cattle and sheep. Worst we have that can get in to the streams is slurry.
 
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