GRAZING. It’s the most fundamental equine food source. With feed prices ever increasing as well as a desire to be more ecological, a growing number of owners are looking at ways to maximise pasture. With prolonged wet winters and drought adding to the challenge of growing grass, landowners are experimenting with different systems.
Three years ago, farmer’s wife Ellie Smith, who lives on the Welsh border, decided to try regenerative grazing with a 16.3hh hunter and 13.2hh pony on two adjoining paddocks, of 0.9 acres and 0.8 acres.
Her husband has been mob-grazing his cattle and sheep for more than a decade. Both these systems are essentially the same, mimicking grazing in the wild.
It’s about short-duration, high-intensity grazing, moving your animals on average once a day, then leaving the grass to recover for between 40 to 100 days. It’s nothing new; strip and track grazing, even rotating fields, follow the same principle.
“The results are phenomenal,” says Ellie. “The huge amount of rest the grassland gets means it has enormously long root systems, so there is no mud, surface water or compaction. The grass grows nearly waist-high in spring and summer, so the soil is well protected and soil temperatures are lower than fields with shorter plants.
“We don’t fertilise. We leave the horse droppings where they fall and they feed back into the system. We have thousands of dung beetles and droppings disappear within 12 weeks. I used to worm regularly, but now do worm counts and don’t need to.
Denne historien er fra February 01, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 01, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change