From: Traci
Hi Jessica! Thank you for all the wonderful advice you've been giving us! I have learned SO MUCH from your archives and bi-weekly emails. I hope to start supporting Horse-Sense financially after my November wedding.
The wedding brings me to my question. I am moving to my fiance's current house (on his parent's 8 acre property) after the wedding. My in-laws have 4 cows which are on a small (2 acre?) fenced pasture. Our plans are to build a second pasture of about 2-3 acres, fence it safely, and plant it with pasture grass, then wait for it to establish and move both horses and cows onto this lot while re-fencing and planting the current lot (which is currently NOT horse-safe). Then we can move them back and forth. My questions are 1) How do we even begin planting a pasture? Right now it is weed ridden. 2) What is the best grass mixture for pasture or where can I find this info for my area(Southern California). Of course, we realize this lot is small and we absolutely intend to supplement feed. Also, horses will be moved into 12 x 36 corals at night. 3) How do you introduce horses and cattle? My older, retired horse should be no problem (ex-rodeo horse), but my young t-bred is spirited, off the track, and I'm sure has NEVER seen a cow.
Also, we're renovating an old wood barn already on the property. They will be very open stalls; essentially, just pipe coral that runs inside the barn (the indoor portion being 12 x 12). The doors to this barn are only 8 feet tall and each indoor stall has one 8-foot beem running across the ceiling. They will be constantly open to the outside runs (we're in So. California). It is impossible to raise these beems. The area around and above them is probably about 14 feet. Are these stalls safe for my horses? Our only other option is to build a new barn, which we can't afford by any stretch of the immagination.
Any help would be appreciated! I don't know how to get started! (p.s. I bought the book about horse management on small acreage, but haven't completed reading it, my fiance stole it from me! ha!)
Traci
Creating a pasture takes time - once you've prepared the ground and planted your pasture grasses, you'll need to allow a full year for the pasture to become established before you put horses on it. Don't be tempted to turn them out even if it looks lovely and lush after six months - let it have the time it needs for the root systems to mature.
How and when you can begin planting your new pastures will depend on quite a lot of factors, including the nature and condition of the soil itself, the local climate, and the availability of water. You'll need to know those things, as well as what's growing on it now, what's been grown on it in the last few years, and what chemicals have been used on that land and the surrounding fields. Begin by asking your in-laws a lot of questions. Then call your county extension agent and ask him to advise you. He can help you arrange any necessary soil testing, and he should also be able to look at your fields and tell you what will be involved in planting them. Depending on what's growing there now, you might need to plow, disk, harrow, fertilize, and use a seed drill to plant your pasture or you might be able to overseed heavily with the grasses you want, plus a cover crop to keep the weeds out whilst your pasture grasses are getting established.
Which grasses you plant for horse pasture will depend on what grows well in that location (ask your extension agent) and on what sort of maintenance you'll need to provide. Will regular mowing be enough, or will you need to irrigate as well?
Which grasses you plant will also depend on what your priorities are - are you trying to provide a source of nutrition for the horses? or are you just hoping to provide the horses with exercise, fresh air, and snacks? Since your space is limited, the latter will probably be the case, and that means you'll want to find grasses with strong root systems. Again, your extension agent will be your best friend here.
Whilst you're planning your pastures, you'll also need to set up some sort of drylot or mudlot - a sacrifice area that you'll use when the horses can't be allowed on the grass. I know that it's difficult to make yourself take any space away from a small pasture, but it's very important - without a sacrifice area, a small pasture will, all too quickly, BECOME a mudlot or drylot.
In my experience, introducing horses and cattle isn't all that dramatic and exciting. The best way to do it will probably be to first walk the fields and fences so that you are sure that the fences are strong, sound, and highly visible, and that there are no dangerous holes or bits of equipment in the fields. Then just turn the horses into the field next to the one where the cattle live. Then - just wait. Even if your horses go screaming and skittering off into the distance at their first sight of a cow, they'll adjust in time as long as nobody tries to force them to make friends by holding them nose-to-nose with the cattle or turning them out together in a small enclosure. Let them get used to the sight, sounds, and smells of the cattle, and they'll eventually figure out that the cattle are not horsivores. Don't panic if they spend the first few days on the far side of their field; they'll eventually realize that the cattle aren't chasing them and in fact aren't doing much of anything other than eating grass. In a few weeks or months, they'll become bored with the cattle and barely notice them at all.
The barn question is much trickier. No, I wouldn't advise putting any horse - other than a miniature one or a very small pony - into stalls with a beam 8' from the ground. It's just too risky. A horse of average size that's just standing calmly looking out at the scenery will have its head at about an 8' level. Add anything exciting or scary that causes the beginning of a small rear, or even anything like a horsefly that causes the horse to toss its head up for a moment, and its head will be 9' off the ground... which, if there is a beam at 8', can mean a cracked skull. The poll is a very delicate area, the bones are very close to the skin, and the possibility of an injury is just too great. Since you say the barn cannot be remodeled with higher beams, I would suggest that you close off the barn so that the horses don't have access to it - use it for hay and feed and equipment, not for horses.
If the horses need shelter, you can probably build a three-sided shed (on skids if you don't want to make a permanent structure, or if building codes won't allow you to build one) without spending a fortune. Your extension agent can advise you here, too.
Now, here is the single best piece of advice I can give you: Before you build your shed or bring your horses home, go book-shopping! One of the very first things you should do if you're planning to build or modify any structure for your horses is to buy a copy of "Horse Housing" by Cherry Hill and Richard Klimesh. Yes, that's the same Cherry Hill who wrote the book that your fiance stole from you. ;-) You'll probably get your book back once you're married and both of you are living in the same place, and that's fine, it's a good book, but you need this book TOO. "Horse Housing" is packed with good information, illustrations, and clear colour photos, and it's so helpful that you'll probably save the price of the book on your very first project. It will also save you from making expensive mistakes - buy a copy, or better yet, you and your fiance (since he borrows books and keeps them) should each buy a copy. ;-)
Jessica
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