Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> From: Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Val Nicoson <vnicoson@xxxxxxxxx>
> CC: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [RC]   Small Acreage Management
> Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2006 14:33:28 -0400
One of the big problems
> with a lot of horses on small acreage is horses tend to be hard on pasture. 
> There feet tear up the ground more than a cloven hoof animal. A horse will 
> graze grass much shorter than cows and this can impact pasture quality.
> With a few animals it's easier to rotate and rest some of the land than it 
> is with a lot of horses. With a lot of horses you will probably be down to 
> keeping some in the barn during the day and out night with the others out 
> day and in the barn night.
>
> Truman


Sorry Truman - beg to differ. I currently have 4 horses on 8 acres and a 
cousin who keeps 40 cow-calf pairs on the rest of our pasture land - about 
120 acres. He asked to put some of his maiden cows on my horse pasture while 
I rotated my horses to another pasture. His cows tore up my pasture in less 
than 3 days! I don't know if its because my horses are mustangs and tend to 
wander more as they graze anyway, but those stupid cows stayed in one place 
and grazed the grass down to bare dirt. My horses have never been too hard 
on my pastures - I do make sure I keep the pasture mowed to a reasonable 
level and I do rotate them every so often, but I think cows are worse on 
pasture. They wallow along the banks of ponds and turn ponds into mud holes, 
they tear up fences, and they tend to congregate in one place and tear up 
the ground.

Although I do agree - a few horses on pasture are better than trying to put 
too many on a small acreage. I sold one of my horses a few weeks ago, and 
one of the reasons - not the only one, of course, but a consideration for 
sure - was the fact that the weather has been so dry and I worried about 
having enough grass this winter.

Just my 2 cents.
Jen and the wild bunch


> "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of 
> a profound truth may well be another profound truth."    Niels Bohr -- 
> Nobel Laureate, Physics
>
>
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
> Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp
>
> Ride Long and Ride Safe!!
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! 
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=