Paddock Blade/alternatives to poo picking by hand

Have heard they could bw linked to grass sickness due to disturbing land. No idea the basis or not of that claim though!!

People at my yard use one, doesn't seem great as they seem tp spend longer doing that than me poo picking!
 
FlyingCircus said:
Have heard they could bw linked to grass sickness due to disturbing land. No idea the basis or not of that claim though!!

People at my yard use one, doesn't seem great as they seem tp spend longer doing that than me poo picking!
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Grass sickness? Wouldn't that mean that chain harrowing would also be linked? I'll have to do a bit of googling.

I'm looking for something to make poo picking quicker/easier not take longer 😟
 
Yes grass sickness is linked to anything that disturbs the soil, like sweeper or harrow.

I was taught always to leave horses off any field that had been harrowed for at least 6 weeks. That was over 40 years ago and it was never something specific that was mentioned back then just horses can get sick if you put them back out onto a field that has just been harrowed. I have seen plenty cope just fine, but I stick to that rule.

A former yard owner started using a sweeper for poo picking and her own horse succumbed to grass sickness. It was her horse only that was affected although there were others in the same field.
 
Yes doing some reading last night, I found an article that suggests that anything that disturbs the soil can be linked. So I have my field (3 paddocks) harrowed twice a year. All 3 are done even the one that ponies are in. I may have to re think my routine.
 
I have a terra vac colt, best thing ever. I have 9 ponies over two yards/hardstanding/approx 1.5 acre grass areas
It doesn't disturb the ground in any way
 
Orangehorse said:
I have a short rake, much, much easier than the long handled one.
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Me too - with the Equispeedskip which is strong enough for me to lean my whole weight on. The long handled ones make my wrist ache, although my helper prefers them to the short ones

ETA the paddock blade looks as though it wouldn't have a chance in longer grass, or poo that has been disassembled by the crows, like what my lot usually has. It would just skim over the top?
 
We have a Trafalgar vacuum, goes behind a quad, it's been a brilliant eBay purchase. I understood that the horse sickness link has been with harrowing, this doesn't disturb the ground. I'd recommend it.
 
dorsetladette said:
Yes doing some reading last night, I found an article that suggests that anything that disturbs the soil can be linked. So I have my field (3 paddocks) harrowed twice a year. All 3 are done even the one that ponies are in. I may have to re think my routine.
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It’s ok if you leave horses off the harrowed land for 6 to8 weeks after harrowing ... grass sickness is now known to be botulism which is an anaerobic bacterium - (lives without oxygen) so if exposed to air it dies off but this takes a bit of time so hence the 6 to 8 weeks rest for the pasture after harrowing
 
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