|
Caring For Your Horse Pasture and Paddock
Paddock and pasture safety and health should be the concern of all stable
owners. by Nature’s Lawn
Most of you do well enough when it comes to the barn and stalls, but what about the grounds surrounding these building? Does it provide
safe footing for the horses? Is the grass thick and healthy? Is it nutritious? Or has all of this been overlooked?
One of the greatest sources of leg injury to horses is wet, slippery soil. This condition also contributes to hoof disease and, of course, muddy
horses. When drainage is poor, you can be sure that the soil is compacted. Water stays on top and doesn’t move through deeper into the
ground. Clay soils are very tight and by nature have poor drainage. But even sandy soils eventually become compacted due to the pressure
and weight of the horses. To prevent injury it is imperative that you improve the drainage around your stable, no matter what type of soil.
One method of improving drainage is to install drain tile. But this can be a very costly project. One of the easiest and maybe least thought of
ways to improve soils and drainage is to make sure the grass is thick and deep-rooted. Any bare or thin grass areas of the paddock should
be seeded right away. Proper fertilizing will encourage better grass growth. Grasses not only absorb water though their roots, but they also
help break up clay and keep the soil more open when their roots are full and deep.
 A second benefit of having a healthy grass in the paddock and pasture is that you can get two or three 3 times as
much growth out of it than you’ll get with a neglected grass. This means happier horses and probably a smaller
feed bill. You should know that if you pasture your horses in the spring, the grass at that time will have higher
water content than the rest of the year. Make sure you always have dry hay available for necessary roughage. If
you are a cautious horse owner, you should be concerned about whatever you put on the grass that your horse
may ingest. We suggest using all-natural, safe products that will contribute to both the lawn’s and your horses’
health. Some examples of this are Alfalfa Meal, fish emulsion and, of course, Kelp (seaweed).
Nature’s Lawn & Garden, Inc. offers two products that can be of great benefit to the stable owners in terms of
improving the safety and the health of their paddocks and pastures. They’ll work on virtually every type of soil in every part of the country.
AERIFY! Liquid Soil Aerator and Clay Loosener will help open up compacted  soils, and break up clay and hardpan. This improves drainage and allows the soil to dry much faster after rains. AERIFY also helps
grasses to get deeper rooted and thicker. Grasses fill in faster and are not as easily killed off by normal stable traffic. The result is not just a less muddy paddock, but also a much safer paddock.
 NATURE’S SOIL ACTIVATOR (and Energized Plant Food) is designed to improve not only the soil, but the health and nutritional quality of the paddock grasses as well. It is remarkable to note
that the same two ingredients (Kelp and Humic Acid) that bioactivate soils so well, are also two of the best plant health foods there are. There is no better natural micronutrient source (for both
plants as well as animals) than Kelp. It contains the vast array of health enhancing trace elements that could only come from the sea.
You will quickly find that plants treated with our Nature's Soil Activator are much healthier, deeper
rooted, nutrient dense and vibrant. It is no wonder that pasture animals will seek out and thrive on fields treated with Nature's Soil Activator.
|
