Implements for small horse farm?

[zekeman]

Dave
I had the drag before I bought the tractor, thats why the small drag worked for me. If I was to buy one today I would probably
go bigger/wider drag. What size are your gates? to get in and out with the drag ? I'm also still using a ground driven Manure spreader, that I had before the tractor (75 bushel) that I can pull with the ATV or the tractor, I can drive down the center isle of the barn with it, eliminates the wheel barrow. Probably will look for a PTO driven bigger size spreader this spring, but not a priority at this time with the snow starting to fall in NY and likely staying around till March. I will only use the F E L for the manure piling it outside and spreading it in the spring.

Ron

 

[danhouse]

We have about 70 acres of irrigated pasture. Most of it is leased out to a local cattle rancher. We maintain the fences and the pasture.

We have an old chain drag. We tied old tires and snowchains to it. Looks like a pile of junk being drug through the field. This we do a couple times a year.

You might be able to get a hold of an old spring chisle. The one we have is so old it has square bolts. I use this to knock down high weeds. Might be better for you than just wacking them. I've work small areas up with the chisle and then raked them and planted vetch and clover-- places that have washed from the flood irrigation, or the bulls have torn up.

 

[cowboydoc]

Having been in horses all my life six implements are a must have for a horse ranch. The first is a good loader. On the loader I would get a bale spear. They aren't very much. If you are lifting bales over a 1000 lbs. you may want to get a second for the three point to carry more bales and provide counterweight. The second would be a good box blade. Not a cheap one but one with scarifers, backwards and forwards cutting edge, etc. The third would be a three point drag harrow. You can get buy with a pull one but a three point for $300 or $400 more is money very well spent. The fourth would be a pull behind manure spreader that is small enough to get into your stalls. Of all the things we have this is probably the biggest time saver of all. The fifth would be a sprayer. If you don't have much ground this can be a backpack sprayer, a small ATV or garden tractor mounted one or a three point sprayer. This will be a huge time saver for spraying fence rows, pastures, etc. The sixth implement would be a good heavy duty rotary cutter.

If you wanted more the next implement that will come in very handy is a good disc. For ripping up ground to reseed, your arena, etc. this will be a good tool to have along with the harrow. Depending on what kind of riding you do and what kind of arena you have more may be needed there.

For reseeding you can usually go down to your local FSA or county extension office and rent some very nice seeders or overseeders. If you have hard pan and no grass areas your best best is to disc it up, harrow it, and reseed the ground. Then keep it nice with the rotary and drag harrow. Horses are picky eaters and so you will constantly need to be cutting the pastures where they don't eat.

You would also be wise to break your pasture up into paddocks. Horses will graze some areas down to nothing while leaving foot tall grass. They like the short grass much better and also won't eat where they defecate because of worms. By rotating pastures and leaving ground for two weeks you will help control worms and maintain good healthy pasture.