I have a Dream…
My dream has always been to have my horses in my backyard, to look out the window and see them grazing in the morning mist, and not having to spend hours to drive to an agistment centre (livery) just to rush through brushing, feeding and exercising to be home in time for the kids and cooking dinner, plus make it work around an erratic work schedule.
In 2006 my family and I moved onto 2.5 acres (1ha) of land in the Lockyer Valley, in SE Queensland, Australia. Now, the Lockyer Valley is regarded as one of the most fertile places in Australia, but alas, unless there is water very little will grow. We are lucky that we have some grass cover, mainly couch grass, but it is short and brown and really doesn’t offer the horses any feed value, though is enough to provide ‘occupational therapy’ for my three horses. Yes, you read right. I have 3 horses on 2.5 acres, though I estimate that the actual area for the horses is more like 1.75 acres.
Three horses on 1.75 acres of grass. Yep…. how do you prevent this from becoming a nightmare? I promised my husband that I would not let the paddock turn into a dust bowl, but that I will actually have more grass on it within a year. I was told it could not be done and that I will have do deal with disgruntled neighbours as their wash is getting covered in dust.
Just have a think about the takes I put up for myself. Ask yourself, “How can I ensure that there will be enough grass for my horses to give them the opportunity to graze every day and reduce my feed costs, without having them destroy the existing grass cover and allow more grass to establish?” And here comes the clincher. We are in drought and on water restrictions. We are allowed to use 140l per day per person in a household, plus water for any animals we keep. No watering of gardens allowed, let alone pasture.
I set out to educate myself and get informed about pasture management, especially as it is relevant to small horse properties. I also I attended workshops and course, and found out how to access resources to help me on my quest. I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to make my dream work.
Here is a short and by no means complete list of what I have to do:
1. Develop an effective grazing system to reduce pasture degradation
2. Increase water holding capacity of soil
3. Establish pasture grasses which are suitable for the area
4. Talk to neighbours and seek permission to agist horses on their land
5. Draw up a property plan
6. Prevent soil erosion
7. Prevent destruction of existing “pasture”
8. Water management
9. Manure management
This is just a start, things that just popped into my mind as I type, and as you can see there is quite a bit to consider. I hope my experiences with trying to develop a sustainable small horse property will help others who want to fulfil their dream of having their horses in the backyard as well.
Cheers
Petra
