yard owner that won't let me poo pick?

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Sophie_Bailey

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my two boys are in a field with 5 others. myself and my mum have been the only two people poo picking and it has been hard work to keep as on top of it but for the sake of our horses and us not wanting our boys in a field full of poo we've done it. however after doing some today i saw my yard owner who told me not to worry about poo picking as it does the field good. the yard owner harrows every month or 2 but as im sure you can understand with that amount of poo it really does no good.
Ive never been at a yard where there has been no poo picking policy and am generally quite confused by his statement. am i right in thinking that leaving poo in the field is bad for the horses and encourages bad grass/weeds etc. ? i am going to have a word with him tonight as im not going to keep my horses in an unpicked field but just wondered about everyone elses views on this?
thanks
Sophie
 
at our yard the close by, smaller paddocks get poo picked, but there are 2 much bigger fields (12 &20acres)further away, which don't as it's not practicle. they get harrowed occasionally. In all honesty if you have a good worming programme and plenty of ground like those larger fields it would be fine not too imo.

In the smaller paddocks, it's better to, but I wouldn't be doing it for 5 who weren't mine and if I knew it would be harrowed every month.

F x
 
How many acres are they on?

We don't poo pick. The fields are rotated, harrowed and rolled - stock is also rotated.
 
im unsure of the acreage, its enough for the 7 in the summer but wouldnt have them in it in the winter if that helps. just had a think and its not harrowed every month, was last harrowed in may and just been done the other day. imo its not big enough to not get poo picked, it gets very messy and even after harrowing it doesnt look brilliant. I can totally understand not doing it when the field is big enough, there is plenty of land in the winter but he has cut the field in half and then in 1/4 - 3/4 for mares and geldings. the field hasn't been rested since ive been there but my two have only been in there a couple of months hence how ive only come across this problem now. Maybe i was just spoilt at my other yards lol
 
I wouldnt mind having it harrowed if the horses were off the land for a good few months to let it rest. If its harrowed and they are straight on it again Id say its a worming disaster..
 
Poo picking is something that seems to have increased the last few years, and depends on the acreage you have available and how it's managed.
Your field really needs no horses on it all at for a month every now and then, and then is the time to harrow and roll and fertilise if necessary. (Spring and summer, you can't do that in winter).
If it's a big field then it's impracticable to poo pick, and best to do the above, we rest some of our fields for six months at a time, as some are 12 acres in size and as a result any worms find it difficult to keep their life cycle going. We harrow some fields as the sun exposes the eggs to heat and they die that way too. Our resident jackdaws are also efficient disectors of any poos.
If your yard owner favours the harrow method then fine, but ask for a different field afterwards, as your horses won't enjoy eating grass covered with fine layers of dung.
If possible try and get them to have their field analysed by the local ag merchants, a that tells them what fertiliser suits it best.
If they will do none of the above, well you're stuffed.
All fields need some rest period and all I can advise is keep doing worm counts on your horses and worm accordingly.
What they are doing is providing a good base for worms to multiply and I would perhaps think about moving on..
you're fighting a losing battle re poo picking if only 2 ex 5 owners will participate.
frown.gif
 
Harrowing to kill worms WILL NOT WORK in the UK. We do not get strong enough sunshine to kill the worm eggs and larvae, even in the Summer.

Even if you worm regularly, your horses will be picking up a new worm burden almost immediately, as most wormers have a short residual action.

Unless the field is harrowed regularly and rested, you will also end up with rank patches that the horses won't eat.

I wouldn't risk my horses in this way and would be looking for a new yard.
 
Diggerdog I agree to some extent that the sun isn't strong enough, but the birds do a pretty good job too!
I think both of us agree looking for a new yard seems the best option, as the field will eventually get very sour and weed ridden.
If however the OP doesn't want to move all she can do realistically is keep doing worm counts and worming as necessary, unless you actually own land sometimes things have to be balanced against convenience from home/work and finances...
 
poo picking will help improve the grass and reduce worms
unless you harrow and rest for a month or two after i wouldnt use the harrow method anyway.or unless the field is huge and its not practical to poo pick-been on 12acre hill before and we used the harrow method.horse stayed off it for 4 weeks and never had any issues.
also the pasture will not be replenished by horse poo-it will become deficient in certain minerals over a long time.
the field sounds like its a fairly small size/manageable to poo pick-i would want all the owners to be clearing the fields regularly!it will eventually become horse sick and alot of the grass will not be eaten by the horses.
 
thank you for all your replies, just confirmed what i was thinking. I am going to have a word with the yard owner tonight, see if i can carry on what i was doing and make the best out of it or see if he'l move my two to another field where i can poo pick. im not going to leave it, i'd start going funny and sneaking up at the dead of night or something
crazy.gif
. i know the winters at my yard are lovely so mum and i will make the best we can out of this summer and get looking for a new place in the winter. i knew this place was too good to last! think im going to look for a little place of my own, had enough of yard politics and not being in control of my horses grazing. anyone know of anywhere northants/beds area by any chance?
wink.gif
many thanks for all your help. just been a lurker on here for ages, been too nervous to say anything!
 
no i havent as yet although have been interested in doing one. where would i get one done?
have text the owner and am waiting for a response. unfortunatly i will be unable to move until at the very earliest this winter but pref next spring. This is my mums first go at horse ownership and she hasn't been at it for long so dont really want to put her in the deep end with our own little go at something just yet.
 
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