Equestrian Paddock Maintenance

Equestrian paddock maintenance is probably the most important thing you can do for your horses – they are sensitive animals and if they live in filthy, overgrown surroundings odds are that they will get sick and may even die. They will also cost you more because you will frequently have to pay for vet services. There are some simple paddock care tips that you can practice frequently to make sure that your horses live in healthy surroundings:
•    Avoid overgrazing – if your horses eat too much from one area it will; not grow back, leading to bare patches of soil. It is best to section your paddocks and then make sure that your horses don’t feed for too long on one area.
•    Droppings are the biggest problem in paddocks. They have to be picked up on a regular basis otherwise they will pile on paddocks and horses will refuse to graze. Collecting droppings is not something that you can afford to do once in a while – depending on how many horses you have and the size of your paddocks you may have to do it a few times a week.
•    Harrowing and scarifying are also important – they turn over the soil and aerate it encouraging new growth of grass.
•    Keep track of your soil nutrient and pH levels – your paddocks will only thrive if they have the right combination of nutrients and if they aren’t too acidic. There are commercially sold kits that can provide you with this information and websites that tell you what steps to take to correct problems.
If all this sounds like more than you can handle you may want to hire a professional paddock care company. They cost you money but the results – healthy horses and beautiful paddocks – are well worth it. Try ProGround Care on https://progroundcare.com/ – they are one of the best.