whistlepig
Elite Member
11 horses on six acres is a lot. We have paddocks (sacrifice fields) that we use from from fall until spring. With 11 horses on six acres you may be fighting a losing battle.
Aerator shopping for horse pastures
- Thread starter dgeesaman
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bja105
Bronze Member
If feasible, try turning the horses out as one herd, that will give the pastures more rest between grazing. More rest than that would be better.
We graze 3-6 horses and two cattle on 6 acres (6 animals is the most we ever had at once.) our cattle are growing and the horses are fat, only on grass in summer, hay in winter. The horses only get grain if we have trouble catching them. I have three pastures that I subdivide and move the animals every week or two. Each big pasture is rested at least a month. After I take off the animals, I mow to keep the weeds from seeding.
Reduce your stocking rate, increase your pasture, keep them in the sacrificial ares when it is very wet. Hay is cheap this year, there is no shame in giving them hay in the summer if it lets your pasture recover better in the fall growing season.
We graze 3-6 horses and two cattle on 6 acres (6 animals is the most we ever had at once.) our cattle are growing and the horses are fat, only on grass in summer, hay in winter. The horses only get grain if we have trouble catching them. I have three pastures that I subdivide and move the animals every week or two. Each big pasture is rested at least a month. After I take off the animals, I mow to keep the weeds from seeding.
Reduce your stocking rate, increase your pasture, keep them in the sacrificial ares when it is very wet. Hay is cheap this year, there is no shame in giving them hay in the summer if it lets your pasture recover better in the fall growing season.
whistlepig
Elite Member
Horses do more damage to pasture with their feet than they do by grazing. Hay would help not.
Spindifferent
Gold Member
Research something like this: K&M Mfg. Product 3
bja105
Bronze Member
Feed them hay in the sacrificial areas, and keep them off the pasture.
Texasmark
Elite Member
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I use a hay king pasture renovator, 4 coulters and shanks for my 57 PTO tractor. Handles it with ease. I make 2 passes staggered then come back with a toothed harrow. Very little surface disturbance.
The coulters on the Hay King (brand...pics on the www) slice the Coastal Bermuda runners and in doing so the runners start a new plant. My pasture was heavily compacted black clay this spring, sparsely populated with grass after numerous years of cattle compaction and overgrazing. I set it for the max depth which I measured at about 10" and put out some fertilizer and made the two passes around April. Got some nice rains on it. Today pasture is a superb meadow, have made one hay cutting off it already this year and it is ready for the second. Oh I made a pass with 2-4-D Amine at about 1.5% (1.5 gallons to a 100 gal tank of water) then too to kill off the broadleaf weeds.
Edit: I had one horse once on a 2 acre lot. The lot couldn't support the one horse because of constant trampling and pulling up the grass shoots with it's double row of teeth as compared to a cow with a gristle on top and one row of teeth on the bottom. After removing the horse, and resurrecting the pasture I could easily carry 2 yearling calves on it. As you surely know, horses are hard on their environment especially when it is confined.
HTH,
Mark
The coulters on the Hay King (brand...pics on the www) slice the Coastal Bermuda runners and in doing so the runners start a new plant. My pasture was heavily compacted black clay this spring, sparsely populated with grass after numerous years of cattle compaction and overgrazing. I set it for the max depth which I measured at about 10" and put out some fertilizer and made the two passes around April. Got some nice rains on it. Today pasture is a superb meadow, have made one hay cutting off it already this year and it is ready for the second. Oh I made a pass with 2-4-D Amine at about 1.5% (1.5 gallons to a 100 gal tank of water) then too to kill off the broadleaf weeds.
Edit: I had one horse once on a 2 acre lot. The lot couldn't support the one horse because of constant trampling and pulling up the grass shoots with it's double row of teeth as compared to a cow with a gristle on top and one row of teeth on the bottom. After removing the horse, and resurrecting the pasture I could easily carry 2 yearling calves on it. As you surely know, horses are hard on their environment especially when it is confined.
HTH,
Mark
Wyobuckaroo
Platinum Member
If it were my situation.....
With the soil type you describe, perk results, and all conditions considered in your location..... I'd go for it...
It seems you have nothing to loose... Just the investment in some fuel and time...
What the studies, all good well meaning info, say doesn't always apply to what is inside your fence lines....
With my size tractor and soil conditions... If I were faces with a perk test like that, and other local considerations...
I would use my home made sub soil tool, as I don't have a spike or core aerator tool... Being a single shank it would just take longer to cover a given area..
You may not have to cover the whole area... Or at least all at once... But working in areas that will let the most water into the ground the quickest and easiest is always a good start...
Looking at the multi shank renovator tools, makes me start thinking about adding a coulter to my sub soil tool...
Good luck....
===
With the soil type you describe, perk results, and all conditions considered in your location..... I'd go for it...
It seems you have nothing to loose... Just the investment in some fuel and time...
What the studies, all good well meaning info, say doesn't always apply to what is inside your fence lines....
With my size tractor and soil conditions... If I were faces with a perk test like that, and other local considerations...
I would use my home made sub soil tool, as I don't have a spike or core aerator tool... Being a single shank it would just take longer to cover a given area..
You may not have to cover the whole area... Or at least all at once... But working in areas that will let the most water into the ground the quickest and easiest is always a good start...
Looking at the multi shank renovator tools, makes me start thinking about adding a coulter to my sub soil tool...
Good luck....
===
bullbreaker
Elite Member
sweettractors
Advertiser
We stock many different new and used aerators. They may be seen on our website or in our Ebay store. Ken Sweet
JimRB
Veteran Member
One of my hay farmers sold his Hay King because it pulled up too many rocks. Some folks have few rocks laying in wait. I know my pastures have enough.
Where I live the rule of thumb is 1 horse per acre, if we have rain. We do a few weeks on each of three turn out areas. Some horse out 24x7. Other in 8 hours a day because they are too fat.
Where I live the rule of thumb is 1 horse per acre, if we have rain. We do a few weeks on each of three turn out areas. Some horse out 24x7. Other in 8 hours a day because they are too fat.