Poo-Picking

For those that mentioned a poll or liveries that 'like' a poo picking yard I guess it all depends on how you word it

Would you like a yard that poo picks
Or one that doesnt

Would get a different response to one that says

Would you like a strict poo picking policy
Would you like not to poo pick but have a YO that arranges rotation of fields, harrowing and resting
Would you like no poo picking and no paddock maintenance



(for the record I poo pick in the summer but dont bother on my larger winter field (only used 2 months of the year)
 
JillA said:
That's crap too - if your horses are clear (according to regular FECs) they can't possibly deposit eggs on the grass. And even if they aren't clear are you going to remove droppings within an hour or two before the eggs can get on the grass?
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Undoubtedly but we like to call it Poo on this forum or tail-lift consequences.
 
I poo pick everyday . I have 3 horses on 2 hectares . I do it to keep the flies away mainly but I know they wont eat the grass underneath if the muck is left to rot down. When the fields get abit low on grass I can tell the areas that they have used to wee or poo on . Its a vicious circle , they wee/poo on it so they dont eat that area and because they dont eat it grotty grass grows ...which they dont like/eat ! So to make sure all of my fields have edible grass I poo pick. I understood that harrowing is good but the field needs to be left for several months to ensure all the nasty bugs have died and the good bugs have done their job and broken the muck down ( or a very hot spell or frost) . I too poo pick with my ipod with music or audio-book (only in empty fields tho, need to have your wits about you just incase someone decides to have a Yee-Ha around the field) . Im not a fan of machines to poo pick as I think they suck up all the bugs as well as the poo ....and the ones Ive used stink !
 
Spring Feather said:
But then I don't keep horses on tiny parcels of land and our land is maintained by harrowing, topping etc. I think if you have too small an area to house horses (which is common in the UK) then yes poo picking is probably a good idea but if you have large fields with small herds and a good management system then there's really no need to poo pick.
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I thinik that is broadly where the split comes in here to be honest. People who are on livery/run livery and have relatively small paddocks which are seldom rested don't have another viable option for paddock maintenance. People who farm have a different approach to field maintenance. I wouldn't say either was right or wrong but that it was just more horses for courses - I have to roll my eyes when people think that poo picking is absolute necessity whenever you have horses because it really is not, that and the fact that the concept of poo picking 23 acres everyday sounds completely soul destroying to me.
 
Can't abide poo picking tbh. It would be a waste of an hour of my life (bit like ironing) :)

We had a static herd on ex dairy grazing on 8 acres split into 2 fields (3 horses)
One field got harrowed/rolled etc and rested for 6 months and so on....
I would when walking my dogs check the fenceline/ look for missing shoes (bleddy Thoroughbred) and the water trough.
Luckily for me I kept my horses on farming land so the farmer had all that was necessary to maintain the fields.
We remained totally worm free and had no ragwort either.

I did once (very briefly) keep my horses on a 15 acre field and the owner insisted I poo picked every day. What a nightmare finding about 16 poo's on 15 acres. She also had a poo picking machine - but took great delight in making me go out with my wheelbarrow. I also had to barrow the poo across 15 acres and half a mile up the drive to get to the muckheap....total waste of time.
I didn't stay long ;)
 
MotherOfChickens said:
well, I did say that if you don't also harrow (and I always take it that land is rested and topped) and if you have lots of ground. I didn't mention worm burdens? It does knacker the grass-I've seen it knacker the grass, I am paying the price of the grass being knackered (by previous tenant) by not poo picking, not harrowing and not having massive amounts of grazing (although with 12 acres of good Scottish ground between 4 horses and 2 ponies split into 2 groups of 3, we are much better stock wise than most). So I have to say, that not poo picking does knacker the grass because I've seen it do so.

I also know more than I care to about grass sickness and am very wary of harrowing and not resting for several months. The thought of harrowing and grazing shortly after as have been suggested by some on other threads makes my blood run cold. However, I look after my own land and my own horses and am relieved I am no longer at a livery yard.
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I never ever harrow my horse fields because this a grass sickness area too.
I do harrow my schooling field but I never allow that to be grazed.
My grass is not knackered it's just fine .
 
I am another who only picks up in small paddock area.

My field has been grazed for last 27 years by 2 ponies or horses, plus geese and sheep and hens, who love to naturally scatter droppings. I have a healthy field with active beetles in the dung who in turn are food for other wild life.

I do not have any problems, mine is good mixed moorland pasture that has been left undisturbed for over 60 years.

Ponies have areas they use for droppings and areas where they graze. I like to see them with the freedom to go around the different areas of the field they naturally exercise and stay interested in their surroundings.

This thread confirms that we all manage in the way that is right for our own situation and possibly the outside influences that we most agree with.
I can not remember anyone poo picking when I was growing up, but that was a long time ago.
 
Adopter said:
I can not remember anyone poo picking when I was growing up, but that was a long time ago.
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He he, I have got a copy of a film taken about 40 years ago of us poo picking as a family activity! So it was done by some then. But I think you are right that we all do what's right for our situation.
 
We must be an contradiction in terms according to the above, we are farmers...but poo pick!! And religiously! OH does the morning shift, 6am with the dogs (walks them at the same time) and I do evenings. One horse and three ponies on five acres (split in two paddocks)

Our fields could rival newmarket race yards for their perfectness...father in law is an agronomist and they are manicured to perfection. I can't stand seeing a poo in them!

We are purely arable though, OH is just as fussy about the farm yard looking good. Inclding banks mowed etc. He doesn't have idle hands though, defo not this time of year anyway !! It just the way we are.

We worm twice a year, and the poo picking woks for us :)
 
KidnapMoss said:
We must be an contradiction in terms according to the above, we are farmers...but poo pick!! And religiously! OH does the morning shift, 6am with the dogs (walks them at the same time) and I do evenings. One horse and three ponies on five acres (split in two paddocks)
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Yes that's what I was saying. In the UK it's common for lots of horses to be on small acreage; you have 4 horses on 5 acres, so yes if that many horses were being kept in little paddocks like yours, I think poo picking is probably worthwhile. However those of us who keep horses in large pasture fields and maintain the land well by other means, probably find it rather time consuming and pointless. I do.
 
Yep agree actually. I would love to have them on 20 acre pasture but that would be taking arable land out of production and as much as OH loves his ned, money comes first!!! :) we may change our system it that was the case. The three ponies are all tiny so in actual fact they have plenty of room between them, our neighbours have three on about 3 acres and don't really poo pick and the difference is plain to see in the fields :)
 
We clear the fields daily, our choice we are fussy how the yard looks. Each to his own and everyone has a sense of priority on their yards. This one for us is high up next to mucking out everyday.
The question is do I like poo picking? Answer: not really



Going out in all weathers
fingers cold leaky welly boots
soaking jeans
scrapping up sloppy poo or frozen poo
strong winds
soaring heat

But boy do I feel good when I go inside warm up / cool down. And look out my window to green pastures in front of me.:)
 
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Good heavens - who knew poo picking was such a hot topic!

I have a big paddock, but alas, am not wealthy enough for a mechanical poo picker. I must have missed something there - like the lotto win.

OK - its rented.

I like the disappearing poo method. Very easy - feed your horses whole oats. Let the birds do the scattering and at this time of year (winter here), the poo has barely hit the ground before it is sorted and scattered to industrial standards by a crowd of finches and the odd pukeko. Rain does the rest, but the odd annual flood makes the best job, just not great for the me and the horses.

The paddock is big enough that the horses keep their lawn and poo areas separate and running cattle through now and again takes care of the rough stuff.
 
Moya_999 said:
We clear the fields daily, our choice we are fussy how the yard looks. Each to his own and everyone has a sense of priority on their yards. This one for us is high up next to mucking out everyday.
The question is do I like poo picking? Answer: not really
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Do you consider yourself to be undisciplined? Does it bother you that others might?
 
fburton said:
Do you consider yourself to be undisciplined? Does it bother you that others might?
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Whats your point??


What has undisciplined got to do with poo picking.
I have voiced my opinion on poo picking as others have.


Why would it bother me what others think?.
If you pick it up/ spread it/ leave it. Its personal choice, no right or wrong. This is what we do and that is what I said.
 
Moya_999 said:
Whats your point??


What has undisciplined got to do with poo picking.
I have voiced my opinion on poo picking as others have.


Why would it bother me what others think?.
If you pick it up/ spread it/ leave it. Its personal choice, no right or wrong. This is what we do and that is what I said.
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I find that very difficult to accept!:)

We are told that poo samples for faecal egg counts have to be treated carefully or the eggs all hatch and invalidate the count.

Then we are told that harrowing simply spreads the worm eggs, doesn't solve the problem but makes it worse.

I suspect there are dozens of scientifically conducted studies out there on which is the best method but they are all suppressed by the authorities because the vets and worm medication manufacturers would all go out of business if the results became public knowledge!

So, yes, there is right and wrong, just that we don't know about it and they won't tell us! You can bet, somebody knows -- but they ain't saying!:(
 
I poo pick but not religiously, I suppose I prefer to have a two hour mission every few days which I consider quite good exercise, I can't get my head round doing it every day as I just think it would take so much longer trekking around finding it!

Thankfully my mares are fairly organised pooers with a few patches. My field is really sick so if I can get it topped and right again I will be much more into keeping it that way :-)
 
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Iv never poo picked or harrowed my fields in my life and my horses were never riddled with worms or was my field ever not entirely suitable for horses.
Ragwort gets pulled. weeds sprayed and field fertilised once a year. Then again I never over grazed land which is were the main problem lies IMO

And the person who said people with big fields can afford big machines is so deluded I dont even know where to start.
 
I agree with snooples, it is about the number of animals on a field, mine are not full of worms, but I have my own routine that has worked for 27 years. Ponies have enough land a and grass to have different grazing and dropping areas, so no problem.

If I started sectioning the land into small paddocks it would be different, but I love to see the fields looking natural and ponies exercising themselves as they move naturally from one area to another.

Another thread with strong views, it is what keeps the forum interesting!
 
Dry Rot said:
I find that very difficult to accept!:)

We are told that poo samples for faecal egg counts have to be treated carefully or the eggs all hatch and invalidate the count.

Then we are told that harrowing simply spreads the worm eggs, doesn't solve the problem but makes it worse.

I suspect there are dozens of scientifically conducted studies out there on which is the best method but they are all suppressed by the authorities because the vets and worm medication manufacturers would all go out of business if the results became public knowledge!

So, yes, there is right and wrong, just that we don't know about it and they won't tell us! You can bet, somebody knows -- but they ain't saying!:(
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This forum has many views, what ever you say someone will contradict you. Where I say no right or wrong I meant everyone has their different views on the subject of dee-pooing
If I were to say its wrong to leave it, the anti poo pickers will voice opinion, the same visa versa.

I know where your coming from Dry Rot I agree with you.

Rephrase that bit in red to everyone has a view on it and it will always differ to the next person.
 
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