Mary Allen
Before the gates to the pastures open in spring, horse owners should treat the meadows to extensive care. And the horses have to get used to the fresh feed again.
Horse pastures have to endure a lot over the year. Long periods of drought and severe winters take their toll on the grasses, and horses also strain the turf with a deep bite and sharp kicks – especially if they wear irons and like to romp around. Shallow-rooted grasses suffer particularly in intensively used green spaces. They often find it difficult to regenerate, which allows deeper-rooted weeds such as dandelions and thistles to spread unhindered. A spring cure is therefore due before the paddock season opens.
Weeds such as couch grass and sorrel can be put in their place by generously cutting them out. Herbicides should be avoided if possible, as they not only make the unwanted plants disappear but also tasty, healthy herbs.
Smooth Out Stumbling Blocks in Good Time
Depending on the condition of the pasture, you should improve the soil structure with a drag, harrow, or roller. But before you tackle the paddock with machines, you have to collect horse droppings. Otherwise, you spread the droppings and possibly worm larvae with them over the entire surface and increase the health risk.
Molehills and footsteps, which increase the risk of tripping and are responsible for clods in hay on hay pastures, are removed by towing when the ground is sufficiently dry but the grass is not yet growing. If there is hardly any grass growing on the pasture, but there is a lot of moss, the harrow has to be used. A meadow or grassland harrow scratches the turf and ensures that air and water get to the grassroots again on matted, compacted, and moss-covered soil.
However, very loose soils that tend to freeze cannot tolerate being towed or harrowed. Better rolling here. When the roller creeps across the meadow at less than two kilometers per hour, it presses down on frozen turf with one to two tons of pressure per square meter, which connects the roots back to the earth. At the same time, it presses stones into the ground, thus reducing the risk of injury. So that the roller does not cause any damage, the ground should be just damp enough that a footprint can be seen, but no longer leaves a puddle. As good as mechanical care measures are for the health of the turf when carried out correctly, they are just as disturbing and dangerous for birds, insects, and microorganisms that breed on the ground.
Rollers should therefore remain in the barn by the end of April at the latest. This also makes sense for another reason. Because all mechanical care measures can be combined with overseeding or fertilizing, this is also best done in early spring.
Fertilizer returns nutrients to the soil that have been stripped from it by horses grazing, haymaking, or silage making. It promotes the growth and health of the grass, can curb weed growth, and influences the nutrient content of the grass, i.e. the horse feed.
Too Much Fertilizer is Counterproductive
However, too much or the wrong fertilizer does more harm than good. Then he lets the grass grow too fast, which is a health hazard, especially for sensitive animals, pollutes the environment, and contaminates the groundwater because it is washed out. On the other hand, if you do without fertilizer altogether, a lack of nutrients can lead to the grass dying and weeds spreading unhindered. Dosing by eye is difficult even for experienced farmers, but fortunately, it is very easy to find out what the soil is lacking with a soil analysis.
There are two different methods of overseeding. The so-called overseeding close smaller gaps, several times a year if necessary. The seed is not placed in the ground but rather distributed over the surface of the turf by hand or with a centrifugal spreader. It only gets into the ground through rain or hoof kicks.
In the case of more severely affected pastures, “through sowing” usually makes more sense. With special machines, for example, a harrow with a prism roller, grooves for the seed are scored in the soil. So that the young plants can germinate and grow well, the soil should be sufficiently moist when sowing. Until the new grasses have established themselves, the old scar is kept as short as possible, for example by early pruning or grazing by sheep and cattle. Around four weeks after sowing, horses are allowed to use the paddock again.
Carefully Grazing Horses Again
Before the horses can eat and play in the paddock to their heart’s content again, they have to gradually get used to the fresh green after the winter in the stable and on the grass-free paddock. Because the change from hay to grass is a huge change for the digestive tract of the horse and can lead to diarrhea, colic, and laminitis. For healthy horses, about four to six weeks are expected for the so-called grazing.
Before going out to pasture for the first time, you should feed plenty of hay to satisfy the ravenous hunger and cover the need for woodchip fiber. On the first day of grazing, you can graze for around 15 minutes so that the microorganisms in the intestine can slowly get used to the fresh feed. Another quarter of an hour is added every second meal day. In the second week, one hour of the paddock is allowed in the morning and another in the evening.
If the four-legged friends spend a lot of time romping or grooming, they are allowed to stay outside longer. Every two days the grazing is extended by half an hour until after about four to six weeks the horse is allowed to go out into the countryside all day. If the horse needs a rest period of several days during this time, for example, because of an injury, you should start grazing again from scratch.
Easy-feeding breeds such as Icelandic horses, overweight, sick, and sensitive horses often have to be fed more gently, i.e. with shorter feeding intervals. If in doubt, you should discuss the strategy with the veterinarian.