At a glance, owning and managing a horse property may look easy. However, keeping up with the responsibilities that come with it is a territory no one wants to come to terms with. Regular maintenance and improvements help in promoting better conditions for your horse property. In turn, this translates to less costs of maintaining your property as well as costs incurred in manual labor of the operation.
Time and money are a factor to consider in your horse property investment. For time issues, hiring someone to help for a nominal wage is a prudent solution. Just as students do on writing papers, do not shy away from asking for some assistance when you lack time or money to make your dream of a horse property come true. If you’re going to purchase land for sale, you should make sure that you’re investing your money in a property that is suitable for your horses.
Here are a few pointers to improving the management of your horse property:
1. Keep your Fence Line In-Check
As much as wired fencing is harmful to your horses, one important goal is to repair the perimeter when there is a breach. Loose perimeter wires, fallen trees and broken boards need to be constantly repaired to keep the animals within the designated area. Also, regularly check the braces, gate, and, fence lines for irregularities that need immediate attention. The most excellent time to do such repairs is in summer.
2. Indulge in Weed Management
Infestation from weed growth should be a major consideration in managing your horse property. Though it is hard to differentiate the harmful weeds from other flowering plants, doing a bit of research on the matter makes a difference. Preferably, focus on poisonous and invasive weeds along with ways to eradicate them to keep your horses safe.
Keep your animals away from areas prone to these weeds. These include fence lines and over-grazed areas. Also, when you use herbicides, in this situation, make sure the horses do not graze in the area.
3. Utilize Pasture Management Techniques
Set your goals to reflect on your pasture and how it is affected by your horses at the property. Take time to learn about practices such as rotational grazing. Nutrients are depleted after an elongated period of grazing. Consider multiple pastures for grazing in a rotational manner to ensure your horses have steady replenishment and your pastures are not over-grazed.
4. Redirect Rainwater
Leaking or stagnant water can cause numerous problems, in addition to forcing you to waste unnecessary time and effort. Therefore, you need to check for any leaks in your horses’ water trough regularly.
5. Reduce Bugs and mosquitoes
As a horse breeder, you probably know that certain birds, especially swallows, feed on bugs that can cause fatal diseases in horses. If you want to reduce the population of insects in your ranch, you need to encourage or attract such birds. You should also prevent the accumulation if stagnant water on your property.
6. Discerning Plantation
If you own horses, you need to plant certain plants to prevent damage to your horses’ hooves and soil erosion. Some plants can help in minimizing the eroding of fertile or top soil, in addition to decreasing muddy and wet areas. Therefore, you should consider contacting the forest department to learn about the right vegetation to plant in your area.
7. Prevention is Always Better than Cure
It is important to get rid of any garbage or clutter around your far as soon as you spot it. If you see tall grasses around or near the stable, you need to mow it to avoid or minimize the risk of fire. You should also encourage certain birds, such as owls, to prevent mice and other rodents from creating nests in or near your horse property.
When it comes to working with horses, you need to be very careful. You should have a good grasp on your to-do list and have enough money, time, and resources to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of those majestic beasts. You need to do everything possible to progress towards improvements.
