Managing grazing land in winter.

Mules · 15-01-2021 6:50am #1

I need some help with managing land over winter. I recently came in to some land. I have been renting the fields to people for grazing horses. I have one summer field and one winter field.

During winter the land (especially around the gates) gets very poached and muddy. I got the winter field rolled last year but I'm wondering should I harrow as well as roll and shouId I do it every year? What can I do to keep the winter field healthy?

I sprayed for docks last year and over seeded the worst bit of it. Should I do that every year? Is there anything else I could do?

Grueller · 15-01-2021 9:09am

Mules wrote: »

I need some help with managing land over winter. I recently came in to some land. I have been renting the fields to people for grazing horses. I have one summer field and one winter field.

During winter the land (especially around the gates) gets very poached and muddy. I got the winter field rolled last year but I'm wondering should I harrow as well as roll and shouId I do it every year? What can I do to keep the winter field healthy?

I sprayed for docks last year and over seeded the worst bit of it. Should I do that every year? Is there anything else I could do?

Rent it to somebody who has sheep or cattle (no outwintering). Horses are hard to manage grassland with.

wrangler · 15-01-2021 1:58pm

Mules wrote: »

I need some help with managing land over winter. I recently came in to some land. I have been renting the fields to people for grazing horses. I have one summer field and one winter field.

During winter the land (especially around the gates) gets very poached and muddy. I got the winter field rolled last year but I'm wondering should I harrow as well as roll and shouId I do it every year? What can I do to keep the winter field healthy?

I sprayed for docks last year and over seeded the worst bit of it. Should I do that every year? Is there anything else I could do?

Horses destroy land, even in the summer, it's really not right to out winter on it, the horses will destroy anything you try to do with it. It'll be interesting to see if your bit of reseeding will survive

minerleague · 15-01-2021 4:05pm

Mules wrote: »

I need some help with managing land over winter. I recently came in to some land. I have been renting the fields to people for grazing horses. I have one summer field and one winter field.

During winter the land (especially around the gates) gets very poached and muddy. I got the winter field rolled last year but I'm wondering should I harrow as well as roll and shouId I do it every year? What can I do to keep the winter field healthy?

I sprayed for docks last year and over seeded the worst bit of it. Should I do that every year? Is there anything else I could do?

Unless conditions are just right rolling can do a lot of damage in compacting land.
Dont know what you mean by summer ( very wet??? ) and winter land but you need a good butt of grass to outwinter any animals.

_Brian · 15-01-2021 4:55pm

Really sounds like this ground isn’t fit for out wintering animals at all.

You’d want to be getting a great rent to allow lads abuse land like that.

Depending on the area it should be idle over the wet months.

Mules · 15-01-2021 6:29pm

minerleague wrote: »

Unless conditions are just right rolling can do a lot of damage in compacting land.
Dont know what you mean by summer ( very wet??? ) and winter land but you need a good butt of grass to outwinter any animals.

I got it rolled late spring/ early summer, when it wasnt too wet but not too dry.
I keep the wetter field for summer grazing and the drier one for winter grazing. The drier field is on a hill so it doesn't get too bad, it's really the area near the gates that are bad. Thats where the water troughs are and they hang around there.

I keep my own horse there too so I said I'd take on a few more for some extra income. I'll have to learn how to manage the land though.

eastie17 · 15-01-2021 6:33pm

The only land to keep horses on is land they will be on all the time, because then you dont really care if they make ****e of it coz they will. Even the quietest ones will go for an owl buck and gallop around the place every so often and thats the end of that on soft ground.

Mules · 15-01-2021 6:40pm

eastie17 wrote: »

The only land to keep horses on is land they will be on all the time, because then you dont really care if they make ****e of it coz they will. Even the quietest ones will go for an owl buck and gallop around the place every so often and thats the end of that on soft ground.

I sectioned a big field in two so I can let one part rest while the other is grazed. I'll only be keeping horses so I dont need the land to be perfect but I dont want to destroy it either. It's been over grazed before so I've had to kill a lot of docks and I dont want the feckers to come back.

Mules · 15-01-2021 6:42pm

wrangler wrote: »

Horses destroy land, even in the summer, it's really not right to out winter on it, the horses will destroy anything you try to do with it. It'll be interesting to see if your bit of reseeding will survive

I fenced off the reseeded part from them. They'd have it ploughed up in a week otherwise.

minerleague · 15-01-2021 10:19pm

Mules wrote: »

I got it rolled late spring/ early summer, when it wasnt too wet but not too dry.
I keep the wetter field for summer grazing and the drier one for winter grazing. The drier field is on a hill so it doesn't get too bad, it's really the area near the gates that are bad. Thats where the water troughs are and they hang around there.

I keep my own horse there too so I said I'd take on a few more for some extra income. I'll have to learn how to manage the land though.

Not a lot more you can do, maybe remove topsoil around gates and water troughs and put down some shale type stone. Dont know much about horses but they very selective about where they eat ( parts will be grazed bare and more will be overgrown with weeds. Have you room for a few sheep ( graze what horses wont)

Mules · 16-01-2021 4:41pm

minerleague wrote: »

Not a lot more you can do, maybe remove topsoil around gates and water troughs and put down some shale type stone. Dont know much about horses but they very selective about where they eat ( parts will be grazed bare and more will be overgrown with weeds. Have you room for a few sheep ( graze what horses wont)

I have room for sheep, I was half thinking about that anyway so I could get in on a glas scheme. Are they delicate though? I had the idea that they were inclined to be sickly.

As well as the shale by the gates ,do you think I could harrow, roll and overseed the worst part of the field every year or is that too often?
Can you just roll or do you need to harrow as well?

Welding Rod · 16-01-2021 6:19pm

I had two ponies for about ten years, when the kids had notions about lifting the Aga Khan. ðŸ™„
Without doubt, they did more damage each and every year, than my entire herd of 40 odd cattle did as long as I have been farming, which is over forty years now.
Prices were awful bad when I got out of them, and I pretty much gave them away. Best fudging deal I ever done.

Mules · 16-01-2021 10:32pm

Welding Rod wrote: »

I had two ponies for about ten years, when the kids had notions about lifting the Aga Khan. ��
Without doubt, they did more damage each and every year, than my entire herd of 40 odd cattle did as long as I have been farming, which is over forty years now.
Prices were awful bad when I got out of them, and I pretty much gave them away. Best fudging deal I ever done.

They're troublemakers alright, there's always something wrong with them too. They cost a fortune in vet bills. One of mine had colic, choke, a bladder infection, stood on a nail and was diagnosed with asthma all within the last year. Each of those required a vet visit. He now has to take steroids every day to treat the asthma. You can imagine what they cost :rolleyes:

minerleague · 17-01-2021 1:03pm

Mules wrote: »

I have room for sheep, I was half thinking about that anyway so I could get in on a glas scheme. Are they delicate though? I had the idea that they were inclined to be sickly.

As well as the shale by the gates ,do you think I could harrow, roll and overseed the worst part of the field every year or is that too often?
Can you just roll or do you need to harrow as well?

Boundaries need to be well fenced for sheep ( have you herd no ? ) Maybe you could borrow a few from a neighbour to see how they do for one year?
Harrow would be good before and after broadcast seeds. ( Can use old iron gate if you didnt have proper one!)

gozunda · 17-01-2021 2:48pm

Use stone at gates and water troughs. If you have hay feeders make sure to move these regularly.

Other than that - stick with a good mixture of native grass varieties. They withstand better and are better for horses nutritionally. Avoid too much soil disturbance from harrowing if possible to maintain soil structure etc.

Also temporarily fence off any areas which may be poached to let them recover.

Managing grazing land in winter.

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