poo picking....how often, how much time spent?

[3OldPonies]

I'm one of the 'OCD' clique. I can't stand poopy paddocks. I do mine twice a day in summer and once a day in winter - it's too dark in the winter to do the evening stint. I do it while the ponies are eating, it gives me something to do and they get to eat in peace. Probably takes about 15 - 20 mins a day if you add both sorties around the paddock together, and that includes forking the stuff onto the heap. I actually find it quite theraputic in a strange kind of way, I get some of my best ideas when I'm wandering about with the barrow!

 

[wiglet]

We don't poo pick at my current yard but previously I would de-poo once a day in summer (1 barrow load for 2 horses - 10 mins) and due to lack of light, once a week in winter (several barrows - but I did have OH to help). It was hard work in winter but I confess to actually enjoying it during the summer.

 

[Archangel]

2 horses, 2 acres about 20mins. I resent every second. I moan endlessly to the horses and do they care? No, they knock the wheelbarrow over, biff me, dribble on me. I would much rather muck out 20 stables than poo pick one field.

 

[windand rain]

I am OCD too and poo pick 4 acres daily more often if I am still on the field when they poop and the four take 20 minutes max one big barrowful in winter two smaller ones in summer as the fatties on restricted grazing do a full barrow by themselves the two highlands on unrestricted grazing do about a third of a barrow between them Odd I know I cannot quite get my head round it

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

sorry to hijack but I'm genuinely curious - I've never poo picked in my life - why do you need to do it?? not something I learned about growing up!

I wont comment on others

• because I am embarrassed if I show new liveries around and the fields are covered with ****, makes it look like I don't care for my land

• I was trained too from early on

• keeps the worm burden down

• stops the grazing having sour patches

• you muck out your stable so why not muck out the field

• gives the horses nice clean area where they don't have to spend time trying to eat round all there droppings.

• I see people spending fancy time making sure the bed it mucked out yet they leave their play area a mess!!!

• good time to dee ragwort at the same time

• also to spot any broken fencing or rubbish discarded in the field

• also to spot rabbit holes

• find any lost shoes which could penetrate soles

• we also drive the ponies in the field when the horses in and I do not want the trap covered in **** either

• we rent the jumps out and droppings all over the place can make a horse slip when jumping]

• we have caravans on livery and the owners do not want to walk in **** or their children or have it on their caravan wheels, or the kids to carry the **** into the van]

• visitors watching out shows don't want to walk in it in their good shoes]

 

[happyclappy]

Daily. However long it takes, depends how much they poo!

 

[Kezzabell2]

mine are on 3 acres, 2 horses and one mini Shetland, takes me 20-30 mins to fill the barrow! but my horse is a bit annoying and I tend to have to give him attention or have to shoe him away quite a lot!

I muck out every morning, one barrow full then at the weekends I try to do 3/4 a day! but doesn't always happen, my field hasn't been totally cleared for soo long, it really annoys me too! before I worked full time I cleared it every day!

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

One horse. Sectioned paddock. Every day. Five minutes.

 

[Sebastian]

Tow a chain harrow behind the car once a week to spread the piles. It is fertiliser for the grass.

This is a common misconception. Fresh horse dung is not fertiliser. The bacteria actually use up the vital minerals from the soil whilst decomposing manure. You should be spreading (more than the usual amounts of) fertiliser if you're leaving dung in the field.

The other issue is that you're increasing the chances of worms. If I recall correctly, the temperature needs to be above 25 degrees Celsius for the eggs to die. I can't remember what the lowest temperature is that the eggs can survive in. Unfortunately we don't often get such temperatures.

Thirdly, what does the chain harrow crowd do during the winter/wet summer? I wouldn't dream of taking my tractor onto the fields to chain harrow in the winter because of the risk of soil compaction.

 

[Toffee_monster]

3 horses on 3 acres, 12 minutes (really sad that i timed it the other day)

 

[BSL]

Arab and shetland, sectioned paddocks, everyday any time of year. Approx 10 mins. I love it. Time to chill and reflect.

 

[doriangrey]

When I had geldings I was anal, lol, about it as they would literally eat one end and poop the other on the go. Having had a stallion and mares is brill because they had poop stations, so I could relax a bit. I only have mares now and it's the same, so I am not as ambitious about it as I was. I only have 2 mares on about 4 acres (split) and winter/barn areas so I am more relaxed about it than I was. I don't like to see horses in small paddocks picking their way between sh i te.

 

[applecart14]

My 17hh WB has to be pooh picked every third day. I reckon he does about eight over a twelve hour period at grass, normally out at about 7pm and in for 7am the next day.

His paddock does look nice when cleared though. My friends horse does his all in a pile in the bottom corner of her paddock! Lucky thing, my horse isn't so generous and likes to scatter it about everywhere.

 

[blitznbobs]

We have a poo Hoover -- it's fab fun I do a paddock a day (4 paddocks in use ATM) and each one takes me between 10 mins and 1/2 an hour...

 

[Brightbay]

Takes about 40 minutes to do the whole summer grazing area - 6 acres including steep hillside (I tend to do it every other day) with 4 horses and a pony (the pony seems to do more than the horses!). I do it because when they're on restricted grazing during the summer, they end up with "roughs" very quickly, and it erodes the grazing, plus on restricted grazing not cleaning means they are forced to graze close to dung piles increasing the exposure to worms/parasites.
During the winter, the field is too steep, wet (and large) to clean - 20 acres... but because it's so large, they aren't forced to graze close to dung piles (and the beetles and birds help clean things up) so it's not so much a concern.

 

[amandaco2]

For part of winter my 4 go onto 8 acres so I dont clear it, so I get 2 or 3 months off poo picking!