Help for starting horse grazing the holistic way

[Ratbadger2]

I’m looking to get into the holistic method. I’m on a hill farm in the Scottish Borders we have 20 horses. I have recently been very interested in this approach I’m looking for some books,courses and videos anything to try to understand implementing its use

 

[spin cycle]

horses and holistic on a single farming forum thread.?....hope you're wearing the armour in your avatar ? ?

 

[Ratbadger2]

horses and holistic on a single farming forum thread.?....hope you're wearing the armour in your avatar ? ?

???? definetly braced for some abuse ???

 

[Jungle Bill]

Jane Myers at https://www.equiculture.net is the person for holistic horse management. I’m one of the Savory Accredited Professionals in the UK for more general holistic management advice. @Sheila Cooke runs courses https://www.3lm.network .

 

[Ratbadger2]

Jane Myers at https://www.equiculture.net is the person for holistic horse management. I’m one of the Savory Accredited Professionals in the UK for more general holistic management advice. @Sheila Cooke runs courses https://www.3lm.network .

Thank you very much will have a look down all of those routes ?

 

[ShooTa]

check out wilderculture on instagram - i believe theyre trying it.

 

[Generally01]

Just get quite a few cows put the horses in with them after the two learn to get along you won't even notic that they are in there as far as soil conditions plant regrowth. Basically what I am saying is that you can easily find out how to manage cows correctly and if you just add the horses you should be okay.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I’m looking to get into the holistic method. I’m on a hill farm in the Scottish Borders we have 20 horses. I have recently been very interested in this approach I’m looking for some books,courses and videos anything to try to understand implementing its use

 

[Henarar]

shouldn't it be Horlistic grazing

 

[honeyend]

The simplest way is just cross graze with sheep or cows. The sheep tend to keep the weeds in check, not gone but in check. I strim thistles,and dock just before they flower, and hand pull ragwort.
The trouble with horses is they graze to the roots, so you have to move them to the next patch before they make the grass so bald the weeds get in, so you can end up with very fat animals, so cows are useful for keeping the grass in check without grazing it bare, so you can move them on after the cows.
With 20 horses, it depends if you can run them on a thrash paddock over the winter. Our land is wet clay and cold, so grass does not really grow to the start of May, if you leave them out over the winter it just kills the grass. It's really a matter of walking the grass every day and moving them when you need to, and having mains electric fencing, so can adjust paddocks to suit the amount of grass growth, and if you need track system walkways. Do not if that is classed as holistic, but it works when I am on it, for me.

 

[Generally01]

If you put the horses in with some cows the cows will have to be moved often enough that it won't give the horses enough time to destroy all living plants

 

[Dry Rot]

First, don't try to graze horses on clay. They'll poach it and turn it to mud. Graze on sand and make sure it is well drained. Worm once a year, harrow in the muck, rest the field and move on. Been doing that here for over ten years. There is probably no need to worm as the larval stage cannot live in shortgrass where they are exposed to drying and the sun. With an average of a dozen horses, I have never had a single case of disease in that time.

Why do people try to keep livestock in unsuitable conditions? Yes, I buy in fertiliser, but only for the hay fields.

 

[Ratbadger2]

First, don't try to graze horses on clay. They'll poach it and turn it to mud. Graze on sand and make sure it is well drained. Worm once a year, harrow in the muck, rest the field and move on. Been doing that here for over ten years. There is probably no need to worm as the larval stage cannot live in shortgrass where they are exposed to drying and the sun. With an average of a dozen horses, I have never had a single case of disease in that time.

Why do people try to keep livestock in unsuitable conditions? Yes, I buy in fertiliser, but only for the hay fields.

Never great when you live on a hill farm that’s mainly clay the only field that’s sandy is the hay field which the horses rarely go on

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Poaching isn't bad news if you let it recover properly, go through the successional stages and use the "weeds" well to regenerate the soil.

Nature does that all the time, eg a landslide or other trauma. Horses are great for generating animal impact, not so good when you keep putting them back in there too soon or let them overgraze, which is why horses get such a bad rap on here?
Sheep or cattle or pigs can be just as bad, it largely depends whether they are spoilt or used as tools.

But the regenerative principles still apply, it's just a process many don't fully comprehend nor apply to their own situation, and then the system becomes more degenerative than it could be.

 

[Generally01]

I have very little experience with horses other than the damage they can create when managed poorly(I have had a glimps of what they could acomplish when managed properly). my advice would be run em' with a herd of other animals even if its just more horses, sheep, goats , cattle, I've even heard of them being run with pigs and having it work very well. basically anything to make so you have to move em' fast and regularly without undergrazing!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I have very little experience with horses other than the damage they can create when managed poorly(I have had a glimps of what they could acomplish when managed properly). my advice would be run em' with a herd of other animals even if its just more horses, sheep, goats , cattle, I've even heard of them being run with pigs and having it work very well. basically anything to make so you have to move em' fast and regularly without undergrazing!

I'd be worried about them foundering if they are fed too well - we had a donkey here while the owners were away overseas, and it foundered in a week due to the diet the other stock were grazing over winter

 

[Generally01]

That sounds like a big change in the diet that would have foundered it. so chances are it was probably not the diet itself.

 

[honeyend]

Donkeys need a really poor diet, they can live quite happily on barley/oat straw. You need poor grazing and not much of it.

 

[Generally01]

Donkeys need a really poor diet, they can live quite happily on barley/oat straw. You need poor grazing and not much of it.

Oh. i really have no experience with donkeys, i was just asuming he meant horses.