paddock, yard ‘n’ stable
At a time of year when the grass is growing – along with the weeds – the land management experts at Logic advise on strategies to keep your pastures in good productive condition
and safe to graze. Selective weed control Weed control is important for two reasons, firstly to remove competition for soil nutrients, water and sunlight so that the grass is more productive and secondly, because quite a number of weeds are to a greater or lesser extent, poisonous to grazing horses. Selective weed control means treating only those parts of the pasture where weeds are growing, which not only saves money, but reduces the amount of herbicide chemicals used. Small hand sprayers or knapsack sprayers can be useful, but where areas of grassland are to be treated, it’s a good idea to consider a small sprayer either mounted on, or trailed behind, an ATV as these allow selective, yet efficient spraying of specific areas or small paddocks where larger machinery is impractical. Another option for taller weeds is to use a weed wiper, which is a bit like a giant paint roller soaked in herbicide that is ‘wiped’ onto the weeds as it is towed around the pasture, but misses the grass. A weed wiper can be used to apply glyphosate to really tenacious weeds like hard rush and they will be killed very effectively, with minimal damage to the grass. Whenever any herbicide is used, it is important to remember than horses or ponies – or any other animal – must not be allowed to graze the pasture until the time period specified by the manufacturer has elapsed and heavy rainfall has washed all the chemical off the herbage.
Mowing and Topping Mowing and topping both mean cutting the grass, but are usually done for different reasons and with different types of mowers. In the context of grassland used for grazing – not lawns – mowing is done when grassland intended for a haylage or hay crop is ready for harvesting. The mower cuts the grass neatly, producing long rows that can be turned as they dry, before baling. The topping mower is used to tidy up grassland and ‘scatters’ the cut grass widely with the aim of it drying naturally and the nutrients it contains ultimately washing back into the soil. Mowing for hay or haylage is nearly always done in June or July, when the grass is at the desired stage of growth, whereas topping can be done at any time the ground conditions are suitable. Topping will help to keep pastures neat and grazing more even, but this should be done after removing droppings from the pasture – on a regular, ideally daily basis. Topping rough areas where there are piles of droppings will scatter the droppings along with the grass and make it more likely that grazing horses will ingest whatever worm larvae are present. Good pasture management, with regular removal of droppings and the use of worm
Equine Page 28
egg counts, can help to reduce the need for chemical wormers, with consequent savings. On clean pasture, topping to keep the grass sward at a length of about 100mm (4”) will keep growth at an optimum level and help to maintain a dense grass cover more resistant to poaching during periods of wetter weather.
Poisonous - or just a nuisance? Poisonous plants can kill a horse or pony, so it makes sense to know how to identify as many of them as possible. If a horse or pony is suspected of having eaten poisonous herbage, the vet should be called immediately. Everyone knows about ragwort, (pictured below at the rosette stage) pretty yellow flowers and deadly. Usually avoided fresh, but palatable when dried in hay, but how many other poisonous weeds do you know about?
quantity needed to produce the symptoms depends on the animal’s health and condition at the time of ingestion. Foxglove is not usually eat fresh although becomes more palatable if eaten in hay. A quantity as small at 100g (¼lb) will prove fatal. The symptoms of foxglove poisoning include contracted pupils, convulsions and difficulty breathing, followed by death only hours later. Hard rush is found in wet soils and is very tough and usually only eaten if the rest of the pasture is bare. It can be difficult to control and is best treated with glyphosate in a weed wiper, then cut 4-6 weeks later. Hemlock is fatal when a quantity of 2.5 – 5.0kg is eaten. Symptoms include narcosis and paralysis, with death a few hours later. Horsetails are common on wet soils and large amounts eaten in hay are very dangerous. Poisoning shows as wasting and loss of control of the muscles. Horses and ponies will rarely eat the plant as it grows.
Laburnum is very common in gardens and quantities as small as 0.5kg will prove fatal. Although the whole tree is dangerous the seeds are the most toxic part. The symptoms of laburnum poisoning include convulsions and coma, with death occurring a few hours later. Laurel is most usually found in gardens and healthy animals can eat small quantities without it proving fatal. If however a ‘poor’ animal consumed laurel, death would follow laboured breathing and convulsions. Meadow Saffron contains the poison colchicine that has a very marked toxic effect. The toxicity may take time to build up, by which time it is too later to save the horse. Oak (acorns) should be collected up once they have fallen because they can cause poisoning if eaten in large quantities. Pigs have been historically used to eat acorns because they are not affected, but if you don’t happen to have any handy pigs, the toxic effect of acorns is not too marked and there is only a small risk of poisoning.
Buttercups are poisonous if eaten fresh, but become totally harmless when dried in hay. Large quantities would have to be eaten to have a significant effect on a horse’s health. Chickweed is a smothering, fast growing week and unpalatable. It is best removed by spraying when in the seedling stage. Nettles are harmless if eaten, indeed some horses relish them if they are cut and allowed to wilt for a few hours. Nettles grow rapidly between April and September and should be treated during this time to eradicate them. Nettles spread easily and can soon take over a paddock, so don’t allow them to go to seed. Bracken is normally avoided by grazing horses, but on some commons and hill it is so abundant that quantities are ingested, causing internal bleeding. The effects are cumulative, as bracken contains a vitamin B1 antagonist resulting in poor growth, loss of condition and incoordination. Treatment includes the administration of large doses of B1. Deadly Nightshade is not normally fatal to horses although it can cause narcosis, dilation of the pupils and convulsions. The
Privet and Box are hedging plants and common in gardens and cuttings should not be allowed to fall into grazed pastures. Of the two, box is the more dangerous, with small quantities causing death. Rhododendron contains a poison that causes death through failure of the respiratory system. Very small quantities are extremely toxic so care must be taken that all plants are well out of the reach of horses. Yew trees are common on gardens and frequently line driveways. The fallen leaves and berries are as lethal as the fresh plant. Trees must be very well fenced off, bearing in mind that in strong winds, branches, leaves and berries may be blown into the field. A quantity as small at 0.5kg is fatal. Horses will eat the leaves all year round, with the poisoning showing very quickly. It has a narcotic effect, resulting in the horse falling into an insensitive state, similar to sleep. Be very careful with trimmings.
For advice on essential equipment for paddock, yard and arena, contact Logic on 01434 606661 or visit
www.logictoday.co.uk
www.farmnequine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44