Clearing for a Horse Pasture (help)

[Birdhunter1]

In that case....
If the stumps were cut flush I don't see how it would hurt much, it would make it hard to do any dirt work but you could sew grass seed over the top of the ground and it will sprout without being covered. But you will have to keep the horses off of it until it establishes itself well.

 

[sidecarist]

Thanks, That's my intention. I can scratch up the top 2 in of the soil easily enough after clearing off the brush, etc and make a seedbed. I have a pond I can use to water the seed to get it to sprout. They can stay in the existing but too small pasture for a while and we can afford to feed them until the grass is well established.

I'll be able to work on them in the future after they have softened up a bit. I'll probably have a couple of times a year to do this while this pasture rests from grazing.

The wife is concerned about the horses slipping, etc...

I will also probably use an auger drill to bore holes so Water can sit in the stumps to promote the rotting process. Maybe also soften them up a bit with he tip of the chain saw.

 

[RPW]

Horses are interesting creatures. Even in a perfect pasture they will find a way to get hurt. I've got 7. They are also survivors and do well in the most inhospitable environments. So my opinion is to cut everything flush to the ground. Oversees your grass seed. Fertilize according with your soil sample results. Improve your pastures as time permits. Keep it simple.

 

[jeff9366]

Yes, I have a subsoiler.

For the 2" to 4" trees I would get under the roots on two sides with the Subsoiler, then lift the 3-Pt to break the roots. That should reduce tree holding strength in the earth by 50%. Then attempt to push over whole tree with your bucket. The roots will come up with the tree, if you succeed. Moist soil is important. So maybe 50% reduction in your stump count, rather than 100%.

If you have toothbar or Ratchet Rake attachments for your FEL bucket either will increase bucket purchase on the tree trunk, relative to an unadorned bucket.

Here are germane threads from the T-B-N archive:

subsoiler to remove stumps site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[prichard]

If you have a backhoe why not dig the roots on 3 sides and push the trees over? Use the trees as leverage to pull the stumps.

 

[Egon]

Three acres for two horses? Just give them a little time and the area trees may die and the ground cultivated for seed.

 

[holeycow]

In time the horses will likely kill every tree in there on their own. Horses need shade and wind breaks. They are more comfortable with some forest than in wide open fields.

I would take only the poorest trees flush to the ground and leave the rest for them to rub on and gnaw on and just generally abuse, as horses do.

Once you open up the canopy and work up the surface the grass will grow.

Just buck up the trees and let them rot. Or pile them to rot.

 

[TractorGuy]

Im with prichard. 6 to 8 inch trees shouldn't be that much of a challenge for a 40hp tractor with a backhoe and loader.

 

[Clay45]

With your criteria its not a project to rush. You could cut back some ot the trees, cut & pile the wood. Let the woodpiles and stumps dry for a year. Get a few steel drums to cut the ends off of, drill a circle of holes around a foot up from one end. This leaves you with a steel tube.

Burn the woodpiles. Set the drums over your stumps and fill with the hotter and larger coals from your woodpiles. Repeat until you've removed as many trees and burned as many stumps as you want. Disc up the new open ground and plant your favorite pasture mix.

 

[sidecarist]

At this point I have already taken down a bunch of the trees and have 3ft stumps. The ground is super dry and hard. I've dug a few of the stumps out with the hoe, but it's time consuming and they don't give up easily. I can spend an hour or two on each one...

For now the plan is leave several of the larger trees and see what happens with them. The stumps I can't easily pull I'll dig around the edges and cut below the surface if possible. Then I'll score them with the chainsaw and drill with an auger to promote rotting.

I'll bury them as best as possible using the landscape rake and prepare the seed bed I will also lime and fertilize per soil test and then plant a pasture seed mix.

We will be building a home at this site in the next 12-18 months. When the excavator is there I'll pay a little extra to have them deal with anything that is troublesome at that time.

I'm hoping to have the pasture seeded and give it a chance to get started before really cold weather, then I'll over seed in the spring. If I can get the horses on it by March I'll be happy.

Thanks for everyone's advice!