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Keeping Your Pasture Healthy

A green pasture is a joy to any horse owner. Not only will it provide adequate exercising opportunities to the animals, but it will also permit them to forage for their food. Especially at the end of a long winter, the sight of fresh green grass beginning to emerge from the barren soil is a welcome sight.

Yet did you know that with the proper maintenance program you will be able to maximize the health of your pasture?

If you already have a wonderful pasture, do not leave its health to chance when spring comes. Instead, be sure to use the spring season to first do a soil test to ascertain the pH levels. Then – as indicated by the results of the test – supplement it with lime and fertilizer as needed. While this may delay your ability to let the horses once again graze, it is well worth it in the long run.

Another reason to delay letting the horses once again graze your pasture is an insufficient grass height. Additionally, if your pasture is still very muddy from recently melted snow or persistent spring rains, wait until the ground has dried out a bit before allowing the horses to form holes and ruts in the soil with their hooves. Take the time to walk around your pasture before turning out the animals for the spring. If you notice some areas that may not have dried off yet, do not let your horses go there. Additionally, you will want to check on the fencing. It is possible that the poles or wires have loosened during the winter, in large part because of the repeated freezes and thaws. This may also cause wooden boards to have come loose while electric tape can also have loosened. You also want to check your gates to make sure they open properly, and that no nails or other sharp edges are protruding and presenting a possibility for the horses to become injured.

Check fence posts to ensure that they are still anchored solidly in the ground. Sometimes they can come loose when the soil changes due to excessive moisture. Keep an eye out for anything that may have come loose and somehow ended up on the pasture itself. Of course, you also want to keep an eye out for potentially poisonous plants that could harm your horses, such as wild cherries, red maples and also persimmon trees. Verify that the horses’ water supply has defrosted and the animals can now drink at will, while also making sure that there is a free-choice mineral block available to them.

This is also the time to consider performing maintenance on the run-in shed, where a thorough cleaning will be indicated in cases where the horses have used it all winter.



Read the next horse pasture article on Maintaining Pasture Grasses in Drought Conditions.
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Horse Tack & Riding Equipment Maintenance

Tack needs to be maintained religiously. Synthetic tack can be hosed down or washed in the washing machine. It's lighter in weight, easy to care for, and less expensive than leather. Leather, needs much more care. Inspect it every time you clean it. Wash it every time you use it, and then oil the leather parts a few times a year.

Browse some different types and styles of synthetic and leather horse tack available online.

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