You know we have the most wonderful environment to live and own horses in. You know how lucky we are and we really must continue to make the best effort we can to help look after our wonderful home by being environmentally sensible. We are all recycling and doing our bit, but there is also a heap of things we can do around the paddock and stables to help. And lots of the things we can do can make looking after our properties a whole lot easier.
goldcoasthorse.com.au is going to dedicate this page to helping people learn about things they can do that will help look after our wonderful environment.
It is going to be a big task, but we will add to this page bit by bit until we have a good source of information for Gold Coast property owners.
Future additions to this web page include: how to tell if your paddocks are sick and what to do about it, manure management, pasture management, water management, functional and aesthetically pleasing horse property design.
WEED WATCH
FIREWEED IS TOXIC TO HORSES
The botanical name for Fireweed is Senecio madagascariensis. There is quite a bit of it about on the Gold Coast. It should be removed from horse paddocks. There are two ways of doing this.
Method 1. If your paddock is not too big you can pull it out by hand. Usually it comes out quite easily, especially after rain, as it doesn’t have a very deep root system. If you pull it and it doesn’t come out roots and all, then you should try method 2. Also the seed heads are very fluffy and blow away, so make sure you bag it as soon as you pull it if it has seeds.
Method 2. Use a herbicide such as Bromoxynil (trade names Bromicide 200, Brominil 200 and Buctril 200) to the manufacturers directions.
Further information on Fireweed can be found here: http://pan.search.qld.gov.au/search/search.cgi?num_ranks=10&tiers=off&collection=qld-gov&profile=deedi&query=Fireweed+fact+sheet
This weed is often seen in Sydney sold as a cut flower! Its’ name is Ageratum houstonianum It is not toxic and horses won’t touch it anyway but it forms dense stands and can quickly overtake paddocks choking everything else out. It’s not a good idea to hand pull this one as it has a very robust root system and generally breaks off at the crown only to regenerate bigger and better! For information on how to get rid of this weed go to:
Get on top of those weeds before they get on top of your paddocks and choke out all the grass!
WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT POO if you can’t use WORMTEC
Let’s face it: horses do a lot of poo. And nobody knows that better than people who have to pick up horse poo every day because their horses are kept in small paddocks, or yards….then they have to find somewhere to put it.
I have seen a lot of methods for getting rid of horse poo: piling it up around the edges of paddocks where later forests of sunflowers and barley grow, throwing it under trees where the root systems get starved of rain and the poor trees struggle, putting it on garden beds burning the hell out of the plants, loading trailers and taking it off site, etc etc etc. But it never seems to break down efficiently or if it does it’s just too slow, like YEARS later there’s still a pile of dried out nuggets.
But there is a solution: COMPOSTING.
Lots of people, with all good intentions, try composting horse manure and don’t have any luck. It is easy though. There are just a few crucial things you need to do and you will be sure to have lovely compost for your gardens, or to spread back on your paddocks to replenish nutrients for the grass.
Here is my tried and true easy composting method.
1.The poo pile needs to get very BIG before it will generate enough heat to begin the composting process. It needs to be around 2 metres across at least and about 1.2 metres high.
2.It needs to be in the SUN. A shady pile will take the rest of your life to compost.
3.It needs to be DAMP. When I say damp, I mean that if you put a pair of gloves on, pick up a handful and squeeze it, it will stay together. Not too wet though, not mushy, just enough dampness to stay together. This means that in our climate sometimes in the heat of summer, the poo will dry out before it has a chance to start composting, so you might need to give it a bit of a hose now and then to dampen it (of course abide by any water restrictions and wait for rain if you have to).
4.Some people like to build elaborate structures such as the ones pictured for their compost heap, but you don’t really need one. The ground will do fine. Just as long as it isn’t in a spot where it will float off to the nearest creek or into the neighbours dam (or pool) at the first heavy rain.
5.You should think about locating it where it is easy for you to get at with a wheel barrow or trailer (for when it is ready).
6.Don’t worry about flies. I can’t explain why, but flies don’t seem to like the compost heap. My horses spent all last summer standing right next to ours because it was the only place that didn’t have flies. You can cover it with a tarp if it bothers you.
7.Once your compost heap is happening it will get so hot, it will kill all the weed seeds, so don’t worry about them either.
8.Compost heaps need to be tossed around a bit to keep fresh air getting in too. The easiest way I find to do this is every time I take a barrow to the heap I dig it over a bit before I throw the next load on. Before you know it there will be worms in there. You don’t need to buy any (you can if you want to: it might speed things up a bit worms available from WORMTEC), but I have found ’build it and they will come’.
That’s it. That’s all you have to do. Don’t give up if it doesn’t start composting right away.. Be patient. It will happen. And when it does you will know as there will be steam rising from your pile when you turn it over.
The whole process will probably take a few months from beginning to end. To give you some idea. Last year I had two horses together in a small paddock say about 1.5 acres. All the manure from these horses was composted.
The paddock is having a well earned rest now and I have been able to spread to compost back on the paddock.
Oh and the compost heap shrinks down to about a quarter of it’s original size too.
Obviously we have done this on a small acreage, but if you have a large one, just make more piles!
Have fun! Click : Manure Management.pdf to download the Manure Management Brochure
The poo pile gets very big before it starts composting.
Here you can see the bottom of the pile is starting to compost. Note how big the pile is.
Lots of lovely compost to spread on the paddock and vegetable garden.
Very stylish composting bays_not required :-).
GOT TOO MUCH HORSE POO???
PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM GREG PLEVEY, MANAGER OF WORMTEC.
This weed is known to us a Cobblers Pegs or Farmers Friend. Its’ botanical name is Bidens pilosa. It is a big nuisance as it has little black seeds that hook onto your clothes or your horse and hitch a ride wherever you go thereby spreading itself around.
Bidens pilosa is susceptible to hand weeding if small enough and has not come to seed yet, but again must be bagged. Germination may be prevented by mulches if they are thick enough.
B. pilosa is thought susceptible to the majority of broad-leafed plant herbicides (PIER, 2007)
This grass weed is known as Setaria or South African Pigeon Grass.
Setaria was originally introduced as a grass for cattle, but has now invaded many areas of The Gold Coast and is toxic to horses and donkeys.
This grass, along with buffel grass, pangola grass, para grass, and kikuyu are high in a naturally occurring compound called oxalic acid which prevents adequate absorption of calcium. Once calcium becomes bound by oxalic acid it forms oxalates which do not allow the absorption of calcium in the small intestine. Calcium bound by oxalate then travels to the large intestine where the fermentation process releases limited amounts of calcium. This limited calcium absorption results in a lowering of blood calcium levels. In response the horses’ body activates the parathyroid gland to release parathyroid hormone. The function of this hormone is to reabsorb calcium from within the body and to restore adequate blood calcium levels. Calcium is reabsorbed primarily from the facial and pelvic bones and eventually from long bones. The reabsorption of calcium from these areas often results in chronic demineralisation of facial bones which causes a disease known as "big head".
Setarias are amongst the most cold-tolerant of the tropical grasses, and they do best in the higher rainfall, coastal districts of the subtropics. They compete aggressively with other weeds and grasses, and prevent the re-establishment of good grasses in lands that have been overgrazed. There are two varieties in the region. S. sphacelata var. sericea (NSW WA QLD). They are both tall growing and look deceptively like lush grazing grass.
REMOVAL: Remove every part of the Plant - hand-pull seedlings. Cut, bag and dispose of Seed heads. In large areas as the Setaria is a clump forming grass, diligent mowing to prevent flowering during spring and summer will give other grass species a chance to proliferate.
If you suspect your horse is grazing on Setaria or any of the other above mentioned grasses, make sure a calcium supplement is supplied in the diet. There are also pellets specifically designed for horses feeding on this grass. Look for ‘Big Head Pellets’ from Hyfeed Australia.
SETARIA IS TOXIC TO HORSES
HELP I TERMS OF USE I CONTACT US
HORSES, LAND AND WATER is a group of like-minded people who share information about a set range of topics, in this case, horse keeping and good land management practices.
THEY HAVE PRODUCED THESE EXCELLENT PUBLICATIONS ON HORSE KEEPING IN THE TROPICS.
This Community of Practice uses four key ways to engage horse owners and horse property managers with each other to share collective knowledge and experiences
-
•the HorsesLandWater Action Planner & Management Guideline for free download
-
•promotion of workshops & field days relating to managing horse properties
-
•direction to information resources for free or to be purchased
-
•links to websites, mentors & peers
Please visit the HorsesLandWater website for a wealth of information by clicking the HORSES, LAND AND WATER BANNER ABOVE or download the publications below by clicking on them.
PLANTS POISONOUS TO HORSES
Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation is a statutory authority established by the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 (PIERD Act). The Corporation was established by the Australian Government to work with industry to invest in research and development for a more profitable, sustainable and dynamic rural sector.
They have a fantastic collection of books on their site all available for free download.
To the left is the PLANTS POISONOUS TO HORSES cover. If you click it you will be redirected to their site where you can get access to a wealth of information on horses.
-
HORSE KEEPING INFO follow our blog
-
HORSE KEEPING INFO upcoming workshops
-
HORSE KEEPING INFO downloads