Horse Pature Maintenance

[ThisldooFarm]

Help. I am new to horse world. Three horses, winter in upstate NY, four acres of manure over winter as snow melted. How to round up? Too much to drag with chain link fence. How about York rake or any other ideas? Thanks. Any ideas welcome.

 

[gabby]

Just drag it. I use old rear tractor tires chained together. Only cost is the chain. Will smear any equine or bovine poop.
gabby

 

[thegreatrandini]

If it is out in your pasture then it is where u want it. A heavy chain harrow will break it up. If it is in a sacrafice area then a rake, rear blade, or front end loader can be used. I load mine in a manure spreader and spread it on the brome pasture. I like to put down new brome seed in worn areas and then cover with the spreader. I drag my pasture a couple times a year with a heavy chain harrow. I have used a weighted down dog run pannel also. I plant annual rye grass in the sacrafice areas a couple times a year spring and fall. It greens it up and the horses love it. It turns brown after summer heat so then I gather all the poo and take it to the pasture. Then I harrow the sacrafice area also. You really need to divide your pasture into at least two parts.....I have my brome sprayed with nitrogen and 24d every spring...You have to keep the horses off of it until it gets growing then start letting them graze a little each day for awhile. Then it is safe to let them have at it.

Lots of good articles on the net....google horse pasture....

 

[Soundguy]

4 ac of maneuer and you say it's too much to drag? ( yep... you are new to horses! ).

\Seriously... just drag it.

I use a chain harrow, flipped over to the 'non-agressive' side.

Chain link fence with a log for weight.. or old tires drug behind the tractor will do an -ok- job as well.

Soundguy

 

[BGL990]

I use my landscape rake turned backwards. With the tines facing the "wrong" way, the rake sort of rolls the manure in front of it, breaking it up until it will pass between the tines. It's only 6 feet wide, so isn't real fast, but does a remarkably good job at breaking up all the lumpy bits.